UP Political Shift: Congress Embraces PMD Strategy to Rival SP

Lucknow: The strong political link in Uttar Pradesh’s politics and ally of the INDIA alliance, the Samajwadi Party, has its influence rooted in its PDA (Backward, Dalit, Minority) strategy. Inspired by this, Congress has also begun efforts to woo the PDA in Uttar Pradesh. In a similar move to the SP, the Congress high command has targeted three leaders from UP’s Backward, Muslim, and Dalit (PMD) communities, appointing them to key positions in the central Congress committee. These leaders have not only been made national secretaries but also given significant responsibilities in crucial electoral states. The three leaders appointed as national secretaries include the Congress’s Muslim face, Shahnawaz Alam, and Dalit leader Sushil Pasi, who has been made the co-in-charge of Bihar. Additionally, Vidit Chaudhary, a leader from the backward community, has been made the co-in-charge of Himachal and Chandigarh.

It is noteworthy that under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi, Congress has been consistently running a campaign for social justice across the country, including in Uttar Pradesh. Recently, Rahul Gandhi made it clear in Prayagraj that for him, the issues of caste census and removing the 50% reservation cap are not just political. Even if these stances lead to political losses in the future, he would still pursue them. This statement has stirred the politics of the backward classes in UP. Just a week after this statement, UP’s participation in the appointment of national secretaries was increased, adjusting the political equation as well. Observers of UP’s political pulse argue that Congress is persistently running a campaign to draw the Pasi community among Dalits, alongside backward classes and Muslims, into its fold. Through leaders like Sushil Pasi, Vidit Gujjar, and Shahnawaz Alam, Congress has accelerated this campaign. Congress has also retained its co-in-charges for Uttar Pradesh. National secretaries Dheeraj Gurjar, Tauqeer Alam, Pradeep Narwal, Nilanshu Chaturvedi, Rajesh Tiwari, and Satyanarayan Patel will continue their work in Uttar Pradesh, which also sends a political message.

However, the question arises whether Congress is eyeing those voters who have traditionally been the vote bank of the Samajwadi Party. In the general elections, the Samajwadi Party performed well on the strength of PDA voters. Now, if Congress manages to attract these voters, it could lead to significant political losses for the Samajwadi Party in the future. It is worth mentioning that the late Mulayam Singh Yadav, the former head of the Samajwadi Party, never allied with Congress in electoral battles for this very reason. He knew that Congress would not hesitate to reclaim its vote bank, which SP had managed to win over. Although “Netaji” is no longer with us, his thinking seems to be coming true.