BSP supremo Mayawati’s statement that her nephew and former national coordinator of the party, Akash Anand, won’t be given any major responsibilities in the party “until he matures” has come as a setback for the young leader who was once touted as the political heir to the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister.
Mayawati remarked at the all-India meeting of the party held on Thursday to review previous assignments and address shortcomings.
Stating that BSP founder Kanshi Ram allowed his family and other relatives to contribute to party work but was opposed to contesting elections or granting them positions, she said: According to this, I have allowed Akash Anand to work in the party, but in this matter, Akash Anand still needs to become more mature. Till then, it would not be appropriate to give him a big responsibility in the party”.
Soon after the statement was made, Akash’s social media profile also caught everyone’s attention. It has been changed from national coordinator to “party worker and a young supporter of Baba Saheb's dreams.” This triggered speculations that Mayawati has stripped him of the position of National Coordinator.
Not only was Akash Anand absent at today's meeting, but he also skipped last Monday’s meeting held at the state office in Lucknow.
The meeting, attended by Yukesh Singh, son of the late BSP MLA Umashankar Singh, was a crucial one, and presented a ground-zero strategy for the 2027 elections and provided the organisation with a key mantra for victory. Many believe this was a clear indication that the organisation is considering introducing Yukesh as the new generation leader.
It has also raised questions about the party’s earlier schedule, which would have seen him launching the 2027 election campaign from the Sadabad assembly constituency in Hathras. Akash Anand has led the party’s election campaign in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections too. He had captured nationwide attention with his brilliant oratory skills.
However, he has had fallouts with his aunt earlier too. Mayawati had previously expelled Akash Anand from the post of National Coordinator in 2024 but was re-inducted a year later.
Last month, Anand’s father-in-law and MP Ashok Siddharth was expelled from the party. "As is well known, Ashok Siddharth, a former MP, was expelled from the party for indiscipline and violation of party guidelines, particularly for not coordinating properly with the BSP Maharashtra State President regarding the distribution of party tickets in the Maharashtra elections,” the post read.
