'Punished For Speaking The Truth': Will Pooja Pal Be BJP's New Face Against SP's 'PDA' Politics?

News18

a day ago

Pooja Pal launched a sharp attack on Akhilesh Yadav and SP's PDA (Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) politics, claiming her removal was an attempt to appease a vote bank.
The political corridors of Uttar Pradesh are abuzz with speculation after rebel Samajwadi Party (SP) MLA Pooja Pal, expelled just days ago, met Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in Lucknow. The meeting, held on August 16 at the CM's official residence on 5 Kalidas Marg, has triggered talk that she may be preparing to formally switch camps to the BJP.
Pooja Pal, a three-term legislator and the current MLA from the Chail assembly seat in Kaushambi district, was seen as one of SP's prominent women faces from the OBC community. Her political journey has always been tied to tragedy—her husband Raju Pal, a BSP MLA, was murdered in 2005, allegedly at the behest of gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed. Since then, Pooja Pal has carried forward the political legacy amid personal loss.
She joined the SP and won from Chail in 2022. However, her relationship with the party high command began souring after she cross-voted in favour of the BJP during last year's Rajya Sabha elections. While other SP rebels such as Manoj Pandey, Rakesh Pratap Singh, and Abhay Singh faced immediate disciplinary action, Akhilesh Yadav refrained from acting against Pooja Pal. That truce broke on August 14 when, during the Assembly session, she openly praised CM Yogi Adityanath for his crackdown on mafias. Within hours, SP expelled her for 'indiscipline and anti-party activities."
'The dreaded mafia who snatched away my husband and destroyed my world—when I did not bow before them then, why should I bow before false narratives today? If I thank the person who gave me justice after years of struggle, why should that be considered indiscipline? I was punished not for wrongdoing, but for speaking the truth," she said.
She also invoked her identity as a woman and as a member of the Gadariya (shepherd) OBC community: 'I too am a daughter of the PDA society. If they truly felt our pain, they would not have wronged me like this. My fight for justice was long and difficult, but the so-called champions of PDA politics had no sympathy for it."
Pooja Pal's meeting with CM Yogi is being widely interpreted as a sign of her imminent entry into the BJP. For the ruling party, the timing could not be more crucial. The 2026 Panchayat elections—often described as the semi-final for the 2027 Assembly polls—will test BJP's ground strength after SP's PDA formula delivered notable gains in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
UP's political analysts, however, said the BJP is trying to recalibrate its social engineering much like it did in 2014, by consolidating non-Yadav OBC votes. While the party has focused on Kurmi and Lodhi voters, bringing Pooja Pal into the fold could give it a credible face among the Gadariya community. Insiders suggest she could even be given an organizational position soon.
The party has already intensified outreach to OBC icons. Recently, CM Yogi unveiled a statue of Rani Avantibai Lodhi and announced a new PAC battalion in Badaun named after her, signalling efforts to reaffirm BJP's connect with the Lodhi vote bank. The Lodhi community, accounting for nearly 5% of the UP electorate and influential in 60–70 assembly seats, has traditionally leaned towards the BJP since Kalyan Singh's era, though the bond weakened over time.
Political observers believe Pooja Pal's move, if it materialises, will carry symbolic weight beyond her individual constituency.
Dr Shashikant Pandey, Head of the Political Science Department at Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Lucknow, told News18: 'Pooja Pal can emerge as a new factor in BJP's OBC-driven strategy. Her expulsion from SP and her direct communication with the Chief Minister are clear signals that the BJP is considering her as part of its broader plan in eastern UP. This is not just about one MLA or one seat; it is about reshaping caste equations ahead of the next elections. If positioned carefully, she could blunt SP's PDA narrative and help BJP project itself as the true champion of OBC interests."
For now, Pooja Pal has not officially announced joining the BJP. However, her sharp criticism of Akhilesh Yadav, coupled with her public gratitude towards Yogi Adityanath, leaves little ambiguity about her political direction.
Whether her induction will significantly tilt caste equations remains to be seen, but one thing is certain—her next step will be watched closely as Uttar Pradesh moves into a crucial election cycle.
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