LUCKNOW Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Tuesday dismissed claims that her nephew, Akash Anand, faced multiple expulsions from the party, saying that he was never expelled prior to his marriage and that any subsequent disciplinary actions were specifically intended to help him improve his conduct rather than a recurring pattern of removal.
She said there would be no need to separate Anand from the party anymore, as his father-in-law Ashok Siddharth had retired.
The remarks came a day after she reinstated Akash and appointed him BSP national coordinator, reversing his expulsion on September 10. The move followed his father-in-law and senior BSP leader Ashok Siddharth’s retirement from active politics.
In a post on X, Mayawati said media reports had “exaggerated” the developments by portraying Akash as having been expelled four times and subsequently brought back and reappointed national coordinator. She maintained that Akash had actively worked for the BSP before his marriage and had never been expelled during that period.
According to Mayawati, the situation changed after Akash’s association with Siddharth, whom she accused of trying to damage her nephew’s image for his own interests. She said repeated organisational action against Akash was taken with the “special objective” of improving his conduct and that he was reinstated after realising his mistakes.
Mayawati said Siddharth’s retirement should remove the circumstances that had contributed to the discord and expressed confidence that there would now be no need to separate Akash from the BSP again.
{{/usCountry}}Mayawati said Siddharth’s retirement should remove the circumstances that had contributed to the discord and expressed confidence that there would now be no need to separate Akash from the BSP again.
{{/usCountry}}Akash’s latest reinstatement follows a series of reversals since Mayawati began grooming him for a larger role in the party. Appointed national coordinator in 2019, he was declared her political successor in December 2023.
His first major setback came during the 2024 Lok Sabha election campaign, when Mayawati removed him as national coordinator and withdrew his status as successor over his conduct. Later, she restored both positions.
The relationship deteriorated again in March 2025, when Akash was stripped of his organisational responsibilities and expelled from the BSP. He apologised and was taken back into the party in April, though his earlier positions were not immediately restored. He subsequently returned to a senior organisational role and was appointed chief national coordinator.
The latest confrontation began on September 3, 2026, when Mayawati removed Akash as chief national coordinator, saying he needed greater political maturity before being entrusted with major responsibilities. On September 10, she expelled him from the party and declared him “completely free” from the BSP.
The action came amid a fresh rupture involving Siddharth, who had faced disciplinary action of his own. He was expelled in February 2025 and reinstated in September that year after an apology, before being expelled again in August 2026. He subsequently announced his retirement from active politics.
After Akash’s September expulsion, Mayawati appointed his younger brother Ishan Anand as a national coordinator. She has now reversed that arrangement by restoring Akash to the post.
Mayawati on Tuesday also appealed to the media to present what she described as the “truth” about Akash’s disciplinary history rather than reducing it to a count of expulsions.