After expelling Akash Anand, Mayawati names his younger brother BSP national coordinator

Announcing the appointment of Ishan Anand, a law graduate, at the party’s all-India committee meeting held at the state unit office in Mall Avenue here, Mayawati called upon party leaders and office-bearers to focus on Gen Z ahead of the 2027 assembly elections.

In the latest turn of events in the BSP’s family saga, Mayawati on Wednesday appointed her younger nephew Ishan Anand, 27, as the party’s national coordinator, days after removing his elder brother Akash Anand as the chief national coordinator and expelling him from the party.

BSP president Mayavati during the meeting with senior office-bearers and state presidents of the party at the Lucknow office. (HT Photo)

Announcing the appointment of Ishan Anand, a law graduate, at the party’s all-India committee meeting held at the state unit office in Mall Avenue here, Mayawati called upon party leaders and office-bearers to focus on Gen Z ahead of the 2027 assembly elections.

“The support of young voters, particularly Gen Z, will be crucial for the party’s victory in the 2027 assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Punjab,” she said.

Earlier on September 7, Mayawati had appointed Ishan Anand as chief sector coordinator, entrusting him with organisational work in 19 states where the BSP has an active state organisation. She later removed him from the post and announced that her niece Deepika Anand would be given a role in the organisation. On September 20, she announced that Ishan would be given a “respectable responsibility” in the party organisation.

Mayawati had removed Akash Anand as the BSP’s chief national coordinator on September 3 and expelled him from the party on September 10.

Ishan Anand has not entered electoral politics so far. After completing his schooling in Noida, he, like his elder brother, went to the UK for higher studies and enrolled at the University of Westminster in London. He later returned to India and joined the family business. He married Radhika Khanna, daughter of a Noida-based businessman, in Haryana on April 24, 2025.

Accompanied by Mayawati and his father Anand Kumar, the party’s national vice-president, Ishan arrived at the BSP state unit office to attend Wednesday’s meeting.

Earlier, the party’s vice-president, national general secretary, national coordinator and state unit president were given seats alongside Mayawati during such meetings. On Wednesday, however, there was no separate seating arrangement for senior leaders, who sat with other party leaders in the meeting hall.

Mayawati said Ishan had assured her that under her guidance, he would work with complete dedication and honesty to advance the party and its movement.

Clarifying her stand on dynastic politics, Mayawati said the BSP had always remained “untainted” by it. She said party founder Kanshi Ram, following in the footsteps of BR Ambedkar, had established strict rules and principles from the beginning. He believed that he had no personal family of his own and that the entire Bahujan Samaj was his extended family, she said.

According to Mayawati, Kanshi Ram’s mission was to transform the Bahujan Samaj from an exploited class into a ruling class and empower its members to stand on their own feet, break free from centuries of “slavery and helplessness” and lead lives of self-respect and gainful employment. She said he allowed cousins and close family members to work within the party organisation as long as there was no greed for personal gain, and that she remained committed to the same principle.

Addressing party leaders, Ishan said Mayawati had entrusted him with the responsibility of national coordinator and that he would strive to discharge it with complete honesty and dedication. He said the unfinished work of Babasaheb Dr BR Ambedkar and Kanshi Ram was being carried forward by Mayawati.

“I assure all party members that I will never let them down in advancing the party’s work. I will always follow the path shown by respected Behenji. This is my promise to all party supporters,” he said.

Reiterating that the BSP would contest the Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Punjab assembly elections on its own, Mayawati said the BJP’s popularity had “plummeted rapidly” because of what she described as its “narrow-minded, feudal and casteist” attitudes and actions, which she claimed were hostile towards Gen Z, Gen Alpha and the general public.

She also attributed the alleged decline in the BJP’s popularity to what she described as hurt to religious sentiments over the Ayodhya donation controversy and the “neglect, humiliation and insecurity” faced by the Brahmin community.

“Whether the election turns out to be a direct contest, a three-cornered fight or a four-cornered battle, BSP supporters, especially in Uttar Pradesh, will relentlessly continue the struggle to form an ‘Iron Lady’ government for the fifth term with a full majority,” she said.