Samajwadi Party president and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav led the party’s PDA Rath Yatra in Rae Bareli on September 25 as part of the party’s political outreach ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.
The visit came amid a recent dispute involving members of the Samajwadi Chhatra Sabha and police in Rae Bareli. The Samajwadi Party has alleged that its student members were assaulted during a membership campaign and that its MLAs, including Rahul Lodhi and Shyam Sunder Bharti, were treated improperly by police.
Yadav travelled towards Rae Bareli on the PDA Rath, with party workers and supporters gathering at several points along the route. The Samajwadi Party said large numbers of students, young people, women, farmers and other residents turned out despite rain and poor weather.
At Churua, Yadav boarded the PDA Rath along with Samajwadi Party national secretary Rajendra Chaudhary, Bachhrawan MLA Shyam Sunder Bharti and Rae Bareli district president Engineer Virendra Yadav.
The convoy travelled through several locations along the Lucknow Rae Bareli route, including areas around Mohanlalganj, Nigohan and Bachhrawan. Party workers organised welcomes at various points.
Yadav also visited the residence of Har Chandpur MLA Rahul Lodhi, where he had tea. He later visited the residence of Rae Bareli district president Engineer Virendra Yadav and met the families of Ram Singh Patel and Suresh Yadav.
The party said the journey from Churua to Rae Bareli headquarters took around five and a half hours, with thousands of people attending the public meeting despite the rain.
At the gathering, Yadav criticised the BJP government and raised issues concerning the Election Commission, reservation and government policies. He also spoke about the Samajwadi Party’s political campaign ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.
The Samajwadi Party described the response to the Rae Bareli programme as evidence of strong public participation and said the PDA Rath Yatra would continue as part of its wider political outreach.
The party also claimed that the public response indicated growing support for political change in Uttar Pradesh. These claims represent the Samajwadi Party’s assessment and could not independently establish future electoral outcomes.
