Why Mayawati showed nephew Akash Anand the door

Action comes amid allegations that Akash Anand and his father-in-law were calling the shots and leaders close to the BSP president were being sidelined

The exit or ouster of high-profile leaders is not a new development in Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), but the unceremonious removal of her nephew Akash Anand from key party posts by BSP chief Mayawati on Sunday followed by his expulsion on Monday has sent ripples in the party.

Akash Anand (HT File Photo)

Mayawati had been grooming Akash Anand (30), son of her brother Anand Kumar, as her political successor since 2017. She appointed Akash Anand as the party’s national coordinator in June 2019. In December 2023, she named him as her political heir.

During the Lok Sabha election campaign in May 2024, she removed Akash from the post of party national coordinator, as well as her successor, after an FIR in a hate speech case was lodged against him in Sitapur.

Akash’s fiery speeches in public meetings, jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and interviews to the media were considered against the party line.

But family ties prevailed and Mayawati reinstated Akash reinstated to key posts in August 2024 and tasked him with leading the party campaign in Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Delhi assembly elections.

From the family, Akash Anand was seen as Generation Next in the BSP whom Mayawati trusted.

What went wrong between the aunt and nephew?

Among the BSP leaders, Mayawati has been portrayed as a leader who is insecure. After BSP founder Kanshi Ram named Mayawati as his successor in December 2001, her insecurity came into play as she purged the party of leaders who were considered close to Kanshi Ram, including RK Chaudhary, Balihari Babu, Ram Lakhan Verma and Jung Bahadur Patel.

After the BSP lost power in 2012 assembly election in Uttar Pradesh, she expelled those party leaders who questioned her functioning and alleged a deviation from the party ideology. The prominent leaders who were shown the door back then included Swami Prasad Maurya, Daddu Prasad, Naseemuddin Siddiqui, Indrajit Saroj, Brijlal Khabri, Kamlakant Gautam, Isham Singh, Jagnath Rahi, Harpal Saini and Deena Nath Bhaskar.

Now, Mayawati has axed her nephew Akash Anand.

After Mayawati tasked Akash with leading the election campaign in Haryana, Maharashtra and Delhi, he, along with his father-in- law Ashok Siddharth, started calling the shots in the party, including selection of candidates, raising campaign funds and drawing strategy, according to those familiar with the issue in the party.

Senior party leaders considered close confidants of Mayawati, including Ramji Gautam, were sidelined. Two groups came into play in the BSP, one included those considered close to Mayawati and the second group loyal to Akash Anand.

After the Delhi assembly election debacle, the Mayawati loyalists briefed her about Akash Anand and Ashok Siddharth’s role in the election and alleged mismanagement of party funds.

Mayawati was also purportedly told that son- in- law (Akash Anand) and father-in-law (Ashok Siddharth) duo were trying to take over the organisation in various states.

The insecurity factor came into play. Mayawati supposedly feared that party will be divided into the two groups wherein she, along with her loyalists, may be sidelined as the younger party leaders were rallying around Akash Anand.

In a review meeting in Lucknow on February, Mayawati announced Ashok Siddharth’s explusion from the party. During her birthday celebrations on January 15, Mayawati opened the party’s doors for her younger nephew Ishan Anand, the second son of her brother Anand Kumar.

For Mayawati, Anand Kumar has been a trusted aide who has never showcased his ambition, despite his appointment as the national vice president. He has remained out of the limelight, managing the paper work, meetings and fund raising activities.

“Be it paperwork, income tax, court issues, all are handled by Anand Kumar, who quit his government job. He also looked after (BSP founder) Kanshi Ram when he was ill,” Mayawati told the party workers at Sunday’s meeting.

To ensure that her hold on the party is not challenged, Mayawati announced that as long as she is alive, there will be no successor. She said in the interest of the party and the movement, relationships have no importance.

To tighten her grip on the party, she appointed Anand Kumar and trusted aide Ramji Gautam as national coordinators to oversee party affairs across the country.