Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president Mayawati on Tuesday removed her nephew Akash Anand as her political heir and party’s National Coordinator, citing he needs to reach “maturity” before assuming these important roles.
“It is known that the BSP, besides being a party, is also a movement for self-respect and self-esteem of Baba Saheb Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar and social change for which Shri Kanshi Ram Ji and I have dedicated our entire lives and a new generation is also being prepared to give it momentum. In the same sequence, along with promoting other people in the party, I declared Shri Akash Anand as the National Coordinator and successor, but in the larger interest of the party and the movement, he is being separated from both these important responsibilities until he attains full maturity,” wrote Ms. Mayawati on X (formerly Twitter).
The former four-time Chief Minister further added that Anand Kumar, Akash’s father, will continue in his role with the party. “His father Mr. Anand Kumar will continue to fulfil his responsibilities in the party and the movement as before. Therefore, the leadership of the BSP is not going to shy away from making every kind of sacrifice in the interest of the party and the movement and in taking forward the mission of Baba Saheb Dr. Ambedkar,” she added.
The BSP president in December last year declared Mr. Anand as heir apparent. The announcement was made during an all-India meeting of the party held in Lucknow to discuss about preparation for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Ms. Mayawati’s announcement comes less than 48 hours after the BSP on May 6 replaced its candidates for Jaunpur and Basti Lok Sabha seats. In Jaunpur, the BSP, which earlier declared gangster-turned-politician Dhananjay Singh’s wife Shrikala as its candidate, named sitting party MP Shyam Singh Yadav as the party nominee. Dhananjay Singh’s wife is considered a strong candidate in the seat against BJP leader Kripa Shankar Singh. In Basti, the BSP replaced Dayanshankar Mishra with Lavkush Patel. In the 2024 Lok Sabha campaign, Mr. Anand, who addressed multiple party meetings and public gatherings, remained equally critical of the ruling BJP and the opposition INDIA alliance, pitching the Dalit-centric social justice narrative of the BSP, along with the communal harmony plank in his speeches. The announcement came as a surprise amid Mr. Anand’s growing clout in the Dalit-centric party.
