UP: Akhilesh sending a message through new party appointments

In what could be termed a surprising move, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav announced on Sunday that veteran party leader and Brahmin leader Mata Prasad Pandey would succeed him as leader of the opposition in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly.

The post was previously held by Yadav, but he relinquished his Karhal Assembly seat after winning a Lok Sabha seat from Kannauj in the recent general elections. Mata Prasad was unanimously chosen for the role during a meeting of the SP legislature party, chaired by Yadav.

Additionally, the party has also appointed Kamal Akhtar, a Muslim, as the chief whip of the party in the Assembly and R.K. Verma, a Kurmi from Pratapgarh district, as the party’s deputy whip in the Assembly.

The announcements followed a meeting at the party's state headquarters in Lucknow, where SP legislators authorised Yadav to decide on the new leader of the Opposition. This development came just a day before the state Assembly's monsoon session was to begin.

Pandey has served as Assembly speaker twice and currently represents Itwa Assembly segment in Siddharth Nagar district. Earlier, Unchahar (Rae Bareli) MLA Manoj Pandey, who joined the BJP just ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, had been the party's Brahmin face. But the former SP chief whip cross-voted in favour of the BJP candidates during the Rajya Sabha elections held in February this year.

With Mata Prasad’s appointment, the party aims to address any concerns that may have arisen among forward caste supporters and voters thanks to the rebellion by MLAs Manoj Pandey, Abhay Singh, Rakesh Pratap Singh, and Vinod Chaturvedi, all part of a group of eight who rebelled in February.

According to sources, the move by Akhilesh seems to be a strategic response to the BJP's frequent criticisms that the SP is primarily a party of Yadavs and Muslims, and is perceived as ‘anti-Brahmin’. This is, however, a strategy that Akhilesh has followed since 2012, when he denied a party membership to the don of Ghaziabad in western UP, D.P. Yadav.  

Mata Prasad is also intended to both bridge the gap left by Manoj Pandey's departure, and capitalise on Mata Prasad’s support within the Brahmin community in eastern UP. As a bonus, he could also capitalise on the anger among Brahmins against the Yogi Adityanath government, which appears to be preferring Thakurs (Yogi’s caste) when it comes to several appointments.

However, Mata Prasad's selection was unexpected, given that many senior leaders from the OBC and SC communities were also vying for the position. However, sources said Akhilesh wanted Mata Prasad from the beginning.  

In the past month, names of several candidates such as Shivpal Yadav, Indrajeet Saroj (a Pasi Dalit), Ramachal Rajbhar (an SC), Toofani Saroj (a Pasi Dalit), and Mata Prasad had been floating around as contenders.

By naming Mata Prasad, Akhilesh has also neutralised potential dissatisfaction among the other contenders as none of them can match him in seniority and experience in the Assembly. Mata Prasad is also known to be strong on Constitutional matters.

The appointment of a Brahmin, along with that of a Muslim and Kurmi as the main faces in the UP Assembly is also seen as part of an effort to strengthen the party's appeal among upper-caste voters, even as it continues to prioritise its focus on PDA (Pichhada, Dalit, and Alpsankhyak), which contributed to its strong showing in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections with 37 seats, surpassing the BJP's 33 seats.

According to news reports, SP national secretary and chief spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary stated that Mata Prasad's appointment aligns with the PDA strategy, including a focus on forward castes.