Akhilesh Yadav launches SP's 2027 UP poll campaign from Rahul Gandhi's Raebareli seat

Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday launched the party’s campaign for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections from Raebareli, the Lok Sabha constituency represented by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

Arriving on the newly-designed ‘PDA Rath’, Yadav targeted the BJP and the Election Commission while also signalling that the SP plans to fight the next Assembly election as part of an alliance. He said seat-sharing would be decided on the basis of winnability.

Akhilesh revives ‘vote theft’ allegation

Addressing a public meeting, Yadav alleged that the Election Commission had facilitated what he called the “vote theft” of the PDA bloc—backward classes, Dalits and minorities—during the 2022 Assembly polls.

“The Election Commission has been exposed and has worked like a puppet. Such a low level of work may never have happened in a democracy. Now, there is no trust in the Election Commission,” Yadav said.

He claimed the alleged irregularities had cost the SP the chance to form the government and accused the BJP of relying on election machinery amid issues such as inflation.

Yadav also attacked what he called “bulldozer politics”, saying the PDA movement would challenge it in 2027.

SP signals alliance, leaves seat-sharing open

Yadav made it clear that the SP would contest the 2027 polls with allies, but did not specify the final seat-sharing arrangement.

“We will have an alliance,” he said, adding that the distribution of seats would depend on which candidates could win.

“Whoever can win a seat should get that seat,” Yadav asserted.

The remarks come as the SP and Congress face the question of how their alliance will take shape for the Assembly election. The two parties fought the 2024 Lok Sabha election together in Uttar Pradesh, with the SP winning 37 seats and Congress six.

PDA Rath becomes campaign centrepiece

The specially-designed ‘PDA Rath’ was a major feature of Yadav’s Raebareli programme. The vehicle carries slogans including “Samajwadi PDA Yatra” and “PDA hi parivartan layega”, along with the expansion of PDA —Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak.

The campaign vehicle also features portraits of prominent personalities and uses blue prominently, reflecting the social groups the SP is seeking to bring together under its PDA strategy.

Raebareli’s selection as the launch venue also drew attention because Rahul Gandhi is the sitting MP from the constituency.

Jobs, healthcare and pension among key promises

Yadav also outlined several issues the SP would take to voters, including employment, healthcare, education and pensions.

“If outsourcing has to be ended, we will end outsourcing,” he said, promising increased government recruitment.

He also promised free treatment in hospitals, reopening of primary schools that had been shut and restoration of the old pension scheme for government employees.

On the proposed Uniform Civil Code, Yadav said equality among citizens should come first.

“We say first make the citizens equal; first, let all of us become one. When everyone's respect becomes equal, then bring laws to increase that respect and take people forward,” he said.

BJP hits back at SP chief

The BJP responded by questioning Yadav’s decision to begin the campaign in Raebareli.

BJP spokesperson Rakesh Tripathi described the move as an attempt to demonstrate the SP’s strength in a Congress stronghold and linked it to tensions within the SP-Congress alliance.

BJP ally and SBSP chief Om Prakash Rajbhar also criticised the PDA campaign.

The 2024 Lok Sabha results have since remained an important backdrop to the alliance debate. The SP-Congress combine won 43 of Uttar Pradesh’s 80 Lok Sabha seats, while the BJP won 33.