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SP retains PDA coalition while expanding outreach to Hindu voters.
As Uttar Pradesh gears up for the 2027 Assembly elections, the Samajwadi Party (SP) appears to be recalibrating its political strategy. While continuing to rely on its PDA (Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) social coalition, which delivered significant gains in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the party is also making a visible attempt to broaden its appeal among Hindu voters through what political observers describe as a “soft Hindutva” strategy.
The shift is evident in the way SP president Akhilesh Yadav has aggressively pursued the alleged Ram Mandir donation embezzlement issue, directly targeting the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP). Over the past few weeks, the controversy has emerged as one of the party’s principal political campaigns, with Akhilesh repeatedly raising the matter both in Uttar Pradesh and at the national level.
According to a senior Samajwadi Party leader, Akhilesh Yadav has personally instructed party workers across the state to highlight the alleged theft of Ram Mandir offerings among the public.
“Every local unit has been asked to take this issue to the people. The objective is to question those who projected themselves as the custodians of faith and hold them politically accountable,” the source told Read.
While Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has not been directly named in every statement, party insiders say the campaign is also aimed at politically cornering the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh ahead of the Assembly elections.
Speaking on the controversy, Akhilesh recently alleged that corruption had become institutionalised under the BJP government.
“Expressways are being built, yet roads are caving in. A cycle of plunder, lies and theft is continuing unchecked everywhere. The exposure of the theft of offerings, donations and contributions has brought the misdeeds of BJP, RSS and VHP leaders to light. Panic has gripped the BJP, and they are making childish statements to divert public attention,” he said.
The SP chief has also promised that, if voted to power in 2027, his government would develop Ayodhya into a global centre for religion and spirituality. He has further assured that a fresh investigation into the alleged donation scam would be ordered and that stringent action would be taken against those found guilty.
“This incident has worried followers of Sanatan Dharma across the world. Those entrusted with this responsibility have committed a grave sin by tarnishing the established dignity of Lord Ram,” Akhilesh said recently while questioning the constitution of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the controversy.
Political observers point out that Akhilesh’s outreach to Hindu religious symbolism predates the Ram Mandir donation controversy. Earlier this year, photographs of the SP chief reciting the Hanuman Chalisa and participating in a Bade Mangal community feast went viral on social media. The events were widely interpreted as part of a broader effort to project a more inclusive religious image while retaining the party’s traditional social justice plank.
Perhaps the most significant manifestation of this strategy is the construction of the Kedareswar Temple in his ancestral district of Etawah. The temple, being built at an estimated cost of around Rs 50 crore, is expected to be inaugurated during the holy month of Sawan in the presence of several prominent saints. An idol of Lord Ram in his child form (Bal Swaroop) has already been installed at the temple. Akhilesh has described the shrine as being located on the “Shiv-Shakti Aksh Rekha,” attributing special spiritual significance to the site. He visited the temple in April to review the construction work and offer prayers, while on Ram Navami in March he announced the installation of the Bal Ram idol.
The SP chief has also intensified his engagement with prominent Hindu religious leaders. On July 9, he met Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati, the Shankaracharya of Jyotirmath, in Lucknow. The meeting was his second with the seer in four months. Sharing photographs of the interaction on social media, Akhilesh wrote that he was honoured to receive the Shankaracharya’s blessings and that they discussed ways to “overcome the crisis facing Sanatan Dharma and liberate the faith from the clutches of the unrighteous.”
The party’s messaging has also acquired a distinctly religious tone. A prominent poster displayed outside the Samajwadi Party’s Lucknow headquarters reads, “Sanatan hi Samajwadi hai” (“Sanatan is Samajwadi”), signalling the party’s attempt to challenge the BJP’s perceived monopoly over the Hindutva narrative while presenting itself as equally committed to Sanatan traditions.
Political analysts believe that while the Ram Mandir continues to hold deep emotional significance, the 2024 Lok Sabha results demonstrated that issues such as governance, caste coalitions and economic concerns remain equally influential in shaping voter preferences.
With the 2027 Assembly elections approaching, the Samajwadi Party appears to be pursuing a twin-track strategy—retaining the electoral advantages of its PDA social coalition while simultaneously expanding its outreach among Hindu voters through religious symbolism and sustained engagement with issues linked to Sanatan Dharma.
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