More than two months after expelling him from the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and one month after inducting him back, party president Mayawati on Sunday appointed her nephew Akash Anand as the party’s chief national coordinator.
His new post, created for the first time in the BSP, is a notch above the position of the national coordinator that Akash held before his expulsion. He will now be in charge of the BSP’s strategies for all the state units in the country, party sources said.
Akash’s return seems to be as dramatic as his exit two months ago.
At a meeting of the BSP leaders from across the country in Delhi Sunday, Mayawati entered the venue along with Akash, who was offered a seat on the stage, where his father and party national vice-president Anand Kumar and the three national coordinators — Ramji Gautam, Randhir Singh Beniwal and Raja Ram – were also seated.
In her speech at the meeting, Mayawati named Akash as the BSP’s chief national coordinator.
Mayawati, sources said, urged her party leaders to “give their blessings and support to Akash in the party work” and also declared that he will now accompany her at every political meeting.
This effectively means that Akash is back at the number two position of the party, superseding several senior leaders.
“Akash is back at number 2 position in the BSP. This was expected after he was inducted into the party last month. He will now be in a position superior to all three national coordinators, who are more experienced than him,” a party leader said.
Akash’s elevation over senior leaders has set off conversations within the party.
“In the meeting, Akash ji was projected as a youngster who needs to be groomed as a leader. Behan ji (Mayawati) has asked us to tell Akash in private if he makes any mistakes,” a party leader said.
Maywati, the leader added, underlined that Akash had “suffered a political setback” due to his father-in-law Ashok Siddharth. In March, Mayawati had also sacked Akash as the BSP’s national coordinator and dropped him as her political successor before expelling him from the party.
The BSP supremo had then attributed her action to her nephew “coming under the influence” of Ashok Siddharth, a former Rajya Sabha MP who, in turn, was expelled from the party in February for allegedly indulging in “factionalism and anti-party activities”.
In April, Akash offered a public apology to the BSP, saying he would “not take any advice from any relative or advisor” and only adhere to the “directives given by respected Behen ji”.
Mayawati accepted Akash’s apology and decided to give him “another chance” with a condition that he would “respect his seniors and not give in to his father-in-law’s advice”. At the time, she also emphasised that there was no question of appointing anyone as her political heir.
Akash, 30, was first appointed the BSP national coordinator following the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and was tasked with handling the party’s 2024 Lok Sabha campaign. However, in May 2024, after being booked for “promoting enmity” during a campaign speech in Sitapur during the Lok Sabha polls, Mayawati axed him as the party national coordinator as well as her successor.
Akash was subsequently given a second chance after 47 days, when Mayawati reinstated him, both as the national coordinator and her successor, in June last year.
In March this year, however, Akash was removed as the national coordinator for the second time and was also expelled.
