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Time of India

BJP plans to redefine ‘PDA' to pitch for caste unity in UP

1 2 Lucknow: After promising caste enumeration in the next census, the BJP is working on a strategy to redefine the 'PDA' — from the opposition's 'Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak' (Backward, Dalit, Minority) to its own version of 'Pichhda, Dalit, Agda' (Backward, Dalit, Upper Caste). BJP sources said the move might help the party counter the opposition's PDA narrative, which is said to have dented the saffron outfit electorally in UP during the 2024 LS polls. The party has already started working on the strategy by bringing together OBC, SC, and upper caste on various platforms to send out a message of caste unity among the Hindu community. Sources said a beginning was made during the birth anniversary celebrations of Dalit icon BR Ambedkar when the party asked its upper caste functionaries to collaborate with their Dalit counterparts in cleaning the statues of Ambedkar in far-flung Dalit-dominated hamlets. This has now turned even more prominent with the state general secretary (organisation) Dharampal Singh, an OBC, holding a convention of the members of SC community while inviting prominent upper caste functionaries to the event. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Google Brain Co-Founder Andrew Ng, Recommends: Read These 5 Books And Turn Your Life Around Blinkist: Andrew Ng's Reading List Undo UP BJP SC Morcha chief Ram Chandra Kannaujia said the Dalit community was largely a "confused group", easily swayed by political parties. "Bringing them together with the upper caste will not only make Dalits emboldened but also send out a message of unity within the otherwise caste-divided Hindu community," he told TOI on Monday. He said the anti-upper caste perception prevailing among Dalits should be negated to build a cohesive society, as perceived by the party's ideology. According to experts, BJP's attempt to redefine 'PDA' will be a clear strategic pivot in caste-based electoral politics, especially in UP. BJP's covert messaging through the formulation of its own 'PDA' could help the party neutralise the opposition's aggressive narrative that aimed to consolidate OBC, Dalit, and the minorities, they added. Known for capitalising on its traditional minority vote back, the SP played up the OBC-Dalit consolidation plank by releasing a picture of Ambedkar replacing half of his face with party chief Akhilesh Yadav, a development that evoked a sharp response from the BJP. Sources said the BJP was trying to remind the Dalit community about the alleged "atrocities" it faced under the SP govt. Analysts said that the opposition, especially under the INDIA bloc, gained traction among OBCs and Dalits by painting the BJP as favouring upper castes and neglecting backward/minority communities. By co-opting and redefining 'PDA', the BJP could neutralise that edge. Notably, the BJP's version of 'PDA' drops 'Alpsankhyak' (minorities), signalling its focus on Hindu social coalition and a strategic sidestepping of Muslim appeasement allegations — something the party often leverages in its poll messaging. BJP's move to re-frame PDA draws similarity with BSP chief Mayawati's social engineering formula — comprising an amalgamation of Brahmins with Dalits — which catapulted it to power with an absolute majority in 2007.