In a surprising turn of events, on Sunday, just one day before the Monsoon Session of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly was set to begin, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav appointed 81-year-old Brahmin leader Mata Prasad Pandey as the new Leader of the Opposition (LoP). This position became available after Akhilesh resigned from the Assembly to keep his Kannauj Lok Sabha seat, which he secured in the recent Lok Sabha elections.
Mata Prasad Pandey, representing the Itwa Assembly constituency in Siddharthnagar district, has had a distinguished political career. He became an MLA for the first time in the 1980 Assembly polls and went on to become a two-time Speaker of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly, with the notable terms being from 2012 to 2017.
In addition to this, the SP made two significant appointments. Kamal Akhtar, the Kanth MLA and former Rajya Sabha MP who also served as a Cabinet minister under Akhilesh Yadav has been named the chief whip in the Assembly. Meanwhile, R.K. Verma, the MLA from Raniganj and a Kurmi leader from Pratapgarh will take on the role of deputy whip.
The appointment of a Brahmin leader to this important position was a surprise, and it holds great strategic value for the Samajwadi Party. The decision also aligns with the PDA strategy of the SP, its inclusiveness, and the broadening of its base across diversity. It seeks to underline the strengthening of backward classes, Dalits, and minorities in the party.
The chief spokesperson of the SP, Rajendra Choudhary, in a conversation with a news source, said that Mata Prasad has been a true socialist since his student life and has a long association with socialist parties. With more than fifty years of active politics and many terms as an MLA, Choudhary feels that he is the most eligible person for the post of Leader of the Opposition.
Mr. Choudhary highlighted that the party is committed to respecting and including all sections of society. He said their strategy involves minorities and upper castes alike; it involves the general public, too, which is much in tune with their philosophy of politics that is inclusive.
However, this move was criticized by other parties. Senior BJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya attacked Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav for not choosing a candidate from either the Backward or Dalit communities. He labeled the appointment as a betrayal and accused Yadav of neglecting these groups. While expressing hope that Pandey would serve effectively as the opposition leader, Maurya criticized the SP’s PDA strategy as a significant letdown. He also predicted that the BJP would replicate its 2017 success in the 2027 elections.
BSP leader Mayawati pointed out in a post on X that while the SP chief may have won the support of the PDA during the Lok Sabha elections by claiming to protect the Constitution, his exclusion from the role of Leader of the Opposition in the UP Assembly raises important questions.
She also noted that in the Samajwadi Party, the PDA’s interests are overshadowed by the focus on one specific caste, excluding communities like the Brahmins. The challenges and neglect faced by the Brahmin community under both the SP and BJP governments are well known, and their progress has been most evident under the BSP government. She advised that these communities should be cautious.
