Pooja Pal, the MLA from Chail in Kaushambi district, Uttar Pradesh, has found herself at the center of a political storm after being expelled from the Samajwadi Party (SP) for praising Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. This expulsion has ignited a debate about free speech, justice, and the future of political alliances in Uttar Pradesh, particularly in the context of the SP's "PDA" (Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) outreach.
Pooja Pal's political journey is one marked by tragedy and resilience. Her husband, Raju Pal, a Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MLA, was murdered in 2005, just days after their marriage. Atiq Ahmed, a gangster-turned-politician, was accused of being behind the murder. Pooja Pal entered politics after her husband's death, seeking justice for his murder. She won an assembly poll with the encouragement of Mayawati, then switched parties, joining the SP in 2019. In 2022, she won the Assembly election from Chail on an SP ticket.
Recently, Pooja Pal praised Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for his government's "zero-tolerance policy" against crime, stating that he had delivered justice in her husband's murder case by taking action against Atiq Ahmed. This praise, however, led to her expulsion from the SP, with the party citing "anti-party activities" and "serious indiscipline". According to SP functionaries, Pal had previously voted against the party line in the Rajya Sabha polls in February 2024 and campaigned for the BJP candidate during the Lok Sabha polls.
Following her expulsion, Pooja Pal questioned the SP's commitment to its PDA narrative, given that she, an OBC leader, was being punished for speaking what she believed to be the truth. She stated that she received justice because of Yogi Adityanath and that she was never aligned with Mulayam Singh Yadav, but had believed in Akhilesh Yadav's vision.
The BJP has seized upon Pooja Pal's expulsion to attack the SP and highlight what they see as the SP's anti-women and anti-OBC approach. BJP leaders have accused the SP of silencing a woman from an extremely backward community for speaking the truth and have lauded Pooja Pal for her courage in acknowledging the Yogi government's efforts to improve law and order. Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak called the expulsion an example of the Samajwadi Party's "anti-women approach".
Pooja Pal's expulsion and her subsequent meeting with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath have fueled speculation about her future political course. While she has stated that she will not immediately join the BJP and will consult with her community before making a decision, the possibility of her aligning with the BJP remains.
The SP's PDA strategy aims to consolidate the support of backward communities, Dalits, and minorities. However, Pooja Pal's expulsion has raised questions about the sincerity and effectiveness of this outreach. The BJP is attempting to portray the SP as being opposed to the interests of these communities, potentially undermining the SP's efforts to build a broad coalition.
As Uttar Pradesh gears up for the 2027 assembly elections, the political landscape is likely to witness further shifts and realignments. Pooja Pal's case has highlighted the complex interplay of caste, crime, and political opportunism in the state, and her future moves could have significant implications for the strategies of both the SP and the BJP. Whether she becomes a new face for the BJP against the SP's PDA politics remains to be seen, but her story has undoubtedly added another layer of intrigue to the political narrative of Uttar Pradesh.
