BSP chief Mayawati reinstates nephew Akash Anand as her successor after removing him in May

BSP chief Mayawati announced on Sunday that her nephew, Akash Anand, has been reinstated as the party's national coordinator and named her political successor. This comes after Anand was removed from the post of national coordinator and as her successor in May this year. The decision to reinstate him was taken during a meeting of the party's officebearers in Lucknow.

Earlier, Mayawati had said he was being removed from the posts because he lacked political maturity.

In a series of posts on X in May, Mayawati reaffirmed the BSP's dedication to Dr. BR Ambedkar's ideals and the ongoing social change movement. She announced that Akash Anand was appointed as the party's national coordinator and declared her successor to provide momentum to this cause.

“But in the larger interest of the party and the movement, he is being removed from both these important responsibilities until he attains full maturity,” she had said.

He was ousted from his position after Sitapur police in Uttar Pradesh charged him with inciting hatred and hostility during an election rally. At the event, he referred to the BJP government as “gaddaron ki sarkar” (a government of traitors), prompting legal action under sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Representation of the People Act.

Akash Anand took on the role of BSP's national coordinator in 2019, following a restructuring by Mayawati after severing ties with the Samajwadi Party. He was designated as Mayawati's successor in December of last year.

Mayawati's BSP, which had secured 10 Lok Sabha seats in 2019, did not win any seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections. Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party, previously allied with BSP, emerged as the largest party in Uttar Pradesh by winning 37 seats. BSP contested 424 Lok Sabha seats nationwide, including 79 in Uttar Pradesh, but did not secure victory in any of them.