Akhilesh Yadav Launches PDA Yatra for 2027 UP Elections

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav launched the PDA Rath yatra on September 24, 2026, traveling from Lucknow to Raebareli to begin his campaign for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. The campaign focuses on the PDA coalition, comprising backward classes, Dalits, Adivasis, minorities, and women. Yadav set a strategic target to increase the party's vote share by 27,000 votes in every assembly constituency to reduce the lead of the Bharatiya Janata Party.

During the tour, Yadav criticized the ruling party over inflation, unemployment, and the use of bulldozers for demolitions, claiming a "bulldozer of votes" would wipe the BJP out of the state. He also demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, alleging electoral irregularities and discrimination during the Special Intensive Revision process.

Samajwadi Party leader Ashutosh Verma dismissed BJP criticisms regarding the color of the campaign vehicle, arguing that camera optics under bright sunlight made the red bus appear orange. Verma accused the ruling party of using trivial debates to distract from recruitment scams and inflation. The launch took place amid reported strain between the Samajwadi Party and its INDIA bloc ally, the Congress, over political primacy in the state. Additionally, the yatra occurred following clashes in Raebareli between the Samajwadi Chhatra Sabha and the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad.