BSP chief Mayawati on Sunday announced nephew Akash Anand as her “uttaradhikari” (successor) at the party’s meeting in Lucknow. The announcement came 22 years after her predecessor and party founder Kanshi Ram had named her as his successor. For over a year Akash has been closely working with the party, handling campaigns in states like Telangana, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. Who is Akash Anand? Akash is the son of the BSP chief’s youngest brother, Anand Kumar. He returned to India after completing his education in London only in 2017 and has been associated with the BSP ever since. In May 2017, Akash also accompanied Mayawati to Saharanpur following a clash between the Dalits and Thakurs. He was formally introduced to party workers in September 2017 after the BSP’s drubbing in the Assembly polls, where it came a distant third behind the BJP and Samajwadi Party (SP), bagging only 19 seats. Akash has been the party’s national coordinator since 2019 and was involved in the recently concluded Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Telangana. The BSP won two seats in Rajasthan while it drew a blank in the other three. What does he bring to the table? All of 33, Akash’s energy and youth may energise the cadre and supporters of the BSP, who have been disappointed with its dismal electoral performances over the years. In Uttar Pradesh, a state where Mayawati has served as CM four times, the party has been on the decline since 2012. The BSP won an absolute majority in the 2007 Assembly elections with 206 seats but was reduced to 80 in 2012 with a 25.95 per cent vote share. Its seat share declined further to 19 in the 2017 elections while in 2022, it just won one seat with a vote share of just over 12 per cent. While in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls it failed to open its account, in the 2019 polls, the BSP allied with the SP and the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) as a part of the “mahagathbandhan” and won 10 seats with a vote share of 19.42 per cent. New campaign techniques Akash taking over the affairs of the party is likely to introduce new-age campaign techniques, especially ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and the 2027 Assembly elections, in the backdrop of him being credited with launching the once-social media shy Mayawati to Twitter (now called X). The “uttaradhikari” has made his intention clear to connect with the youth with his “Yuva Samvad” programmes in different states. It was the first time that the BSP ran a targeted campaign to reach out to this section of society. In a clear departure from Mayawati’s style of campaigning, Akash also held yatras and demonstrations while campaigning in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. Akash’s elevation may also help the BSP turn Dalit votes, which are also being eyed by Chandrashekhar Azad’s Azad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram), in its favour. BSP leaders said Akash helming the party affairs will also boost the organisational strength of the party ahead of the Lok Sabha elections and the 2027 state polls, especially considering Mayawati is 67 years old now. The BSP supremo has avoided touring across the state and the country for organisational meetings and has been restricted to either Lucknow or Delhi. On the other hand, Akash has been touring different states as her representative over the past several months. Mayawati had recently announced that Akash would be sent to Andhra Pradesh in a bid to attract youth into the party fold. Not everyone happy? Some leaders claimed Akash’s elevation may not go down well with the followers of Kanshi Ram, who was against dynastic politics and kept his family away from it. A few leaders also see the announcement as Mayawati’s reversal from a position she had taken 15 years ago. “My successor will not be any of my siblings or relatives,” she had written in the third volume of her autobiography, Mere Sangharshmay Jeevan ka Safarnama (The Story of My Life and Struggles) in 2008. However, the BSP supremo’s brother Anand Kumar is the national vice-president and is considered to be the second most powerful person in the party after Mayawati. In August 2021 too, the BSP chief had asserted she did not need to appoint a successor as she was healthy. When Mayawati was 45 years old, her mentor Kanshi Ram had named her his successor in 2001 at a rally in Lucknow only after his health deteriorated. Political implications Like some members of BSP, her political rivals could use Akash’s elevation to target her for promoting dynastic rule in the party. As the BSP has not sided with either the INDIA bloc or the NDA, the party is likely to be at the receiving end for promoting family rule, an accusation that the BJP has levelled against the Congress, SP and the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) in Telangana. Moreover, Akash does not yet wield influence among people and partymen like his aunt, who is revered by her followers. To hand over the reins of the party to a “political novice” from the family is a risk that Mayawati has taken in a bid to regain the BSP’s lost glory, especially in Uttar Pradesh.
