Lucknow: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati has once again brought her nephew Akash Anand back into the party fold, re-appointing him as its national convenor. She announced the decision on Monday through a post on X, saying it was taken after careful consideration and in the interest of the party and the wider Bahujan movement.
This is the third time in as many years that Anand has been reinstated after a fallout with the party leadership. He was expelled in May 2024 and taken back within a month, removed again in March 2025 and reinstated soon after, and then stripped of his organisational responsibilities this September before being relieved of party duties entirely on September 10.
What changed this time
According to Mayawati, Anand publicly apologised to her on October 2, addressing her as "bua maa" and describing her as his political mentor, while seeking another opportunity to serve the party. She said she had noticed positive changes in his personality and working style in recent months, and that a majority of party members wanted him to be given another chance.
She also linked the decision to the political retirement of Anand's father-in-law Ashok Siddharth, expressing hope that the party would now function smoothly without repeated organisational changes. Anand's father Anand Kumar and his younger brother Ishan Anand supported the decision, with Ishan saying he would work for the party without holding any formal post.
Discipline remains the watchword
Mayawati stressed that maintaining discipline within the organisation remains her foremost priority, recalling that she had taken several tough decisions in recent months, including against members of her own family. The BSP is currently preparing for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections due in 2027, and the leadership shake-up places the party's second line firmly in Anand's hands once again.
Sources:
PTI: Mayawati takes nephew Akash back in BSP, re-appoints him national convenor
ABP Live: Mayawati Reappoints Akash Anand As BSP National Convener
This is the third time in as many years that Anand has been reinstated after a fallout with the party leadership. He was expelled in May 2024 and taken back within a month, removed again in March 2025 and reinstated soon after, and then stripped of his organisational responsibilities this September before being relieved of party duties entirely on September 10.
What changed this time
According to Mayawati, Anand publicly apologised to her on October 2, addressing her as "bua maa" and describing her as his political mentor, while seeking another opportunity to serve the party. She said she had noticed positive changes in his personality and working style in recent months, and that a majority of party members wanted him to be given another chance.
She also linked the decision to the political retirement of Anand's father-in-law Ashok Siddharth, expressing hope that the party would now function smoothly without repeated organisational changes. Anand's father Anand Kumar and his younger brother Ishan Anand supported the decision, with Ishan saying he would work for the party without holding any formal post.
Discipline remains the watchword
Mayawati stressed that maintaining discipline within the organisation remains her foremost priority, recalling that she had taken several tough decisions in recent months, including against members of her own family. The BSP is currently preparing for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections due in 2027, and the leadership shake-up places the party's second line firmly in Anand's hands once again.
Sources:
PTI: Mayawati takes nephew Akash back in BSP, re-appoints him national convenor
ABP Live: Mayawati Reappoints Akash Anand As BSP National Convener
