With months left for Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, the BSP is going for a major organisational change. Just days after party supremo Mayawati sidelined former national coordinator and her nephew Akash Anand, she has shifted her focus to Ishan Anand, Akash's younger brother.
According to reports, Akash Anand's name is not included in any key responsibility list.
Ishan, a 27‑year‑old Westminster-educated law graduate, has been introduced to party workers, and he recently attended a party meeting wearing the BSP scarf.
Ishan has reportedly been given a key position in the party as the chief sector in-charge. He has also been assigned the task of thoroughly reviewing the party's functioning and organisational activities in approximately 15 states. Ishan will visit all 15 states, assess the party's situation there, and submit a detailed report to his father, BSP national vice-president Anand Kumar.
Ishan recently attended a meeting of national office bearers. He also attended Mayawati's birthday party before that.
This major change has sparked discussions in political circles, especially after Akash Anand once again made a major change to his social media account bio, describing himself as a "BSP supporter."
This has triggered speculations that Akash Anand may soon be shown the door from the BSP once again. He was expelled from BSP in March this year along with his father-in-law Ashok Siddharth. But, reinstated after he patched up with his aunt.
Party insiders say Maya vati’s real grievance is Akash’s aggressive, anti‑BJP rhetoric, including a harsh rally speech targeting Modi’s government and a tweet challenging RSS chief Mohan Bagavat over Dalit reservations, which she later had removed.
Speculation is that by speaking out in support of Lucknow's Dalit cab driver, Ankit Kumar, Akash Anand not only questioned the cab company's working style but also sparked a new debate about casteism. Akash Anand stated that even major companies like Rapido suffer from the same narrow-mindedness that the Bahujan Samaj has been struggling to eradicate for decades. He emphasised that any company should listen to all stakeholders before making a decision. He also asked RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat sharp questions about Dalits, which could have proved costly.
