Akhilesh Yadav Calls UP Assembly Bypolls a Battle Between ‘Baba Saheb’ and ‘Baba’
Lucknow: Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav on Monday described the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly bypolls as a battle between those who believe in the principles of Babasaheb Bhim Rao Ambedkar and those who follow “Baba”, a veiled reference to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Yadav remarked, “This is a fight between those who believe in Baba Saheb 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.”
Yadav further emphasized his position, declaring, “So far, the Constitution has protected the PDA; now the PDA will protect the Constitution! Proclaim Unity. Jai Samvidhan, Jai PDA!” He referred to the “PDA” as a slogan for Pichhde (backward classes), Dalit, and Alpsankhyak (minorities) — a term he popularized before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections to represent his party’s focus on marginalized communities.
The Uttar Pradesh bypolls, scheduled for November 20, will see elections in nine assembly seats: Katehari (Ambedkar Nagar), Karhal (Mainpuri), Meerapur (Muzaffarnagar), Ghaziabad, Majhawan (Mirzapur), Sisamau (Kanpur City), Khair (Aligarh), Phulpur (Prayagraj), and Kundarki (Moradabad).
Out of these, eight seats became vacant after their respective MLAs were elected as Lok Sabha MPs, while the Sisamau seat is being contested following the disqualification of SP MLA Irfan Solanki, who was convicted in a criminal case.
In the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, the SP had won Katehari, Karhal, Sisamau, and Kundarki, while the BJP secured Phulpur, Ghaziabad, Majhawan, and Khair. Meerapur was held by the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), which is now allied with the BJP in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
The Congress party, part of the INDIA bloc, has decided not to field candidates in the bypolls, offering its support to the Samajwadi Party. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), however, is contesting independently across all nine seats.
With the bypolls set to be a crucial political battle, Akhilesh Yadav’s statement adds a layer of ideological symbolism, pitting the vision of Ambedkar and his legacy of constitutional values against the BJP’s political narrative, which he criticizes as undermining those values.
