SP to target youth to strengthen 'PDA' base in Uttar Pradesh

Lucknow: With its 'PDA' strategy spelling success for it in the Lok Sabha polls, the Samajwadi Party is now targeting students and youths belonging to the backward and minority communities to strengthen its cadre base in Uttar Pradesh.

The party has initiated a month-long campaign "PDA-Chhatra, Navjawan Jagrukta abhiyan" (students, youths awareness campaign) to focus on the youth.

PDA is an acronym given by party president Akhilesh Yadav for 'Pichhde' (backwards), Dalits and 'Alpsankhyak' (minorities). In the Lok Sabha polls, the PDA strategy helped the SP win 37 of the 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh.

Senior party leader Rajendra Chowdhury told PTI, "In this campaign, students and youth will be made aware about issues of public interest, including paper leak, fee hike, employment, reservation, free education, digital divide, construction of libraries, restoration of student union, construction of new university/college, corruption in appointments in educational institutions and transparency in reservation."

The party has engaged its youth wings -- Samajwadi Yuvjan Sabha, Samajwadi Lohia Vahini, Mulayam Singh Youth brigade and Samajwadi Chhatra Sabha for the campaign from August 9 to September 10, former MLA and party leader Rajpal Kashyap said.

The detailed plan for making this campaign success and strengthen the party has been sent to presidents of these wings.

During the campaign, the party will distribute pamphlets in which works done by the SP for the youths in its regime has been highlighted. The youth will also be told about the party's future plans for them if it is voted to power in the 2027 assembly polls.

Kashyap said the focus of the campaign will be getting suggestions of youths on matters pertaining to them.

"We will also be taking suggestions of students and will come to know what they wanted for themselves. It will help us in formulating our policies accordingly for them," he said.

"Suggestions will be taken from students in every university and college. They will be asked to fill a resolution form. Their suggestions will be sought on what role they want the youth to play in the country and politics," he added.

In the later stage of the campaign, students conferences will be held in which teachers will be felicitated and meritorious students will also be honoured.

After learning about the problems of students, the same will be compiled and the party leadership will be apprised about it so that their issues could be raised at the right platform.

With the campaign, the party will also try to gauge the mood of the people and prepare a strong cadre to deal with its main opposition BJP, a senior party leader said.

"There is a lot of time left for the 2027 assembly elections and our focus is on strengthening the party cadre. Also, the party is eyeing bypolls on 10 seats in the state that are schedule to be held later in the year," Kashyap said.