Akhilesh Yadav Launches Statewide Rath Yatra Ahead of Uttar Pradesh Assembly Election

Socialist Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav announced a statewide Rath Yatra to be launched in September 2026, ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh legislative assembly elections. The campaign, dubbed the “PDA Rath Yatra,” will travel through all 403 assembly constituencies and focus on mobilizing the PDA (Backward, Dalit and minority) electorate. The rally’s slogan is “Save Constitution, Save PDA,” and organisers say it will address issues of social justice, reservation and constitutional protection.

SP spokesperson Fakhrul Hasan Chand told IANS on July 16 that the Yatra aims to counter the BJP’s policies and rally public support for the SP. He also criticised the ruling government on various unrelated matters, but the central thrust of the announcement is the Yatra’s role in strengthening the party’s grassroots network and electoral prospects in Uttar Pradesh.