Former Minister Ram Asrey Kushwaha joins Samajwadi Party
Former BJP minister Ram Asrey Kushwaha has joined the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh, citing a lack of respect for OBC leaders within the BJP. The move is intended to bolster the Samajwadi Party's 'PDA' movement ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.
Why it matters
Political shifts among influential caste-based leaders are critical indicators of electoral trends in Indian state politics.
Former Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ram Asrey Kushwaha joined the Samajwadi Party (SP) on Thursday (September 17, 2026).
The Samajwadi Party said the joining will strengthen the party’s outreach among PDA social groups. PDA acronym stands for ‘Pichhde’ (backward classes), Dalits and ‘Alpsankhyak’ (minorities), but at times the SP leadership added other social groups to the plank.
Mr Kushwaha, a prominent leader from the Kushwaha social group, has also served as an office-bearer of ‘Kushwaha Kalyan Parishad’, a social organisation working for the social group that falls under the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) category.
He was associated with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the SP in the past. Apart from Mr. Kushwaha, many political workers from other parties, like Vijay Kumar Singh from Aligarh, Anshu Dubey from Kannauj, Anoop Kashyap Pradhan, Nishad Party district president Kannauj, and Manoj Kumar Nishad, joined the Samajwadi Party.
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