# Akhilesh Says Pandits Are Part of SP’s PDA Coalition

2026-08-06T11:36:17+00:00 | Politics | Indian Opinion Desk

Corroboration: 2 independent outlets

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav said the party’s PDA framework includes Pandits, or Brahmins, at a conference in Lucknow. The Hindu dates the event to August 5, while Times Now News reports it took place on August 6. PDA originally stood for backward communities, Dalits and minorities, a formulation used by the SP since the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly election. Yadav accused the Uttar Pradesh government of targeting Opposition workers, Brahmins and religious leaders. He also alleged that a Shankaracharya was stopped from taking a holy dip and that a false POCSO case was filed against him. The allegations were not independently established in either report. Analyst Asad Rizvi told The Hindu that the outreach aims to attract Brahmin voters traditionally linked with the BJP.

## Coverage

- thehindu.com <https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/uttar-pradesh/pda-includes-pandits-says-akhilesh-in-sp-bid-to-woo-brahmins-in-uttar-pradesh/article71309776.ece>
- timesnownews.com <https://www.timesnownews.com/india/p-in-pda-stands-for-pandits-akhilesh-yadavs-brahmin-outreach-in-up-slams-bjp-for-targeting-shankaracharya-article-155320950>

Tags: Brahmins, caste politics, PDA, Samajwadi Party, Uttar Pradesh
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