Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav  described the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly bypolls as a fight between two opposing ideologies. Taking aim at Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Yadav said, “This is a fight between those who believe in Babasaheb Bhim Rao Ambedkar and those who believe in ‘Baba’. On one side are those who make and protect the Constitution; on the other side are those who destroy it.”  

In a post on X, Yadav reiterated his slogan of PDA, representing Pichhde, Dalit, Alpsankhyak (Backward, Dalit, and Minority), saying, “So far, the Constitution has protected the PDA; now the PDA will protect the Constitution! Proclaim Unity. Jai Samvidhan, Jai PDA!”  

The bypolls, scheduled for November 20, will be held in nine constituencies: Katehari (Ambedkar Nagar), Karhal (Mainpuri), Meerapur (Muzaffarnagar), Ghaziabad, Majhawan (Mirzapur), Sisamau (Kanpur City), Khair (Aligarh), Phulpur (Prayagraj), and Kundarki (Moradabad).  

Of these, eight seats fell vacant after the sitting MLAs were elected to the Lok Sabha, while the Sisamau seat is up for grabs following the disqualification of SP MLA Irfan Solanki, convicted in a criminal case.  

In the 2022 Assembly polls, the SP had won four of these seats: Sisamau, Katehari, Karhal, and Kundarki. The BJP held Phulpur, Ghaziabad, Majhawan, and Khair, while Meerapur was won by the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), now allied with the BJP in the NDA.  

The Congress has opted out of the bypolls and is supporting its INDIA bloc partner SP, while the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is contesting all nine seats independently.  

Yadav’s remarks come as a direct challenge to the ruling BJP, highlighting his party’s effort to consolidate backward classes, Dalits, and minorities under the PDA umbrella ahead of the bypolls and the crucial 2024 Lok Sabha elections.