Mayawati brings nephew Akash Anand back, reappoints him BSP national convenor

Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati on Monday brought her nephew Akash Anand back into the party and reappointed him as national convenor, less than a month after removing him from the organisation and declaring him “completely free” from the BSP.

Announcing the decision, Mayawati said she had reconsidered the matter after taking into account Anand’s recent conduct, his request to return and the views expressed by party members and his family. She said he was being given another opportunity to work for the BSP in the interest of the party and the Bahujan movement.

Back after September ouster

The decision marks another reversal in Anand’s fluctuating position within the BSP leadership. On September 3, Mayawati removed him from the crucial post of national convenor, saying he needed greater maturity before being entrusted with major organisational responsibilities.

A week later, on September 10, she went further and announced his removal from the party, saying he was being “completely freed” from the BSP. At the time, Mayawati accused her nephew of giving greater importance to family and personal interests than to those of the party.

His latest reinstatement came after Anand publicly sought reconciliation. In an October 2 social media post, he apologised to Mayawati, referred to her as “Bua Maa” and asked for another opportunity to work under her leadership.

Mayawati sees changes in Akash

Explaining her latest decision, Mayawati said changes had been visible in Anand’s personality and style of functioning following the recent developments within the party.

She said Anand’s public request to return had generated considerable discussion and that most people within the organisation believed he should be given another opportunity. His father, Anand Kumar, and younger brother Ishan Anand had also supported his return.

“After considerable thought, the party has decided, in the interest of the party and the movement, to once again appoint Akash Anand as the BSP’s national convenor and give him an opportunity to work in the party again,” Mayawati said.

The BSP chief nevertheless made it clear that Anand’s future in the organisation would depend substantially on his own conduct.

Ishan steps aside

Akash’s return also alters a recent restructuring of the BSP’s younger leadership. After removing Akash, Mayawati had brought his younger brother Ishan Anand into a national organisational role.

Ishan, 27, a law graduate, was appointed a national coordinator at the BSP’s all-India committee meeting in Lucknow on September 23. Mayawati said Ishan had subsequently conveyed that he did not require a formal position and was willing to work for the party in whatever capacity she considered appropriate.

With Akash restored, Mayawati has effectively returned to a leadership arrangement she had dismantled only weeks earlier.

Father-in-law row

The repeated changes involving Akash have also been closely linked to his father-in-law, former BSP Rajya Sabha member Ashok Siddharth.

Siddharth had been an influential figure within the party before falling out of favour with Mayawati. His relationship with Akash became part of the BSP chief’s criticism of her nephew, with Mayawati repeatedly stressing that organisational discipline and the movement had to take precedence over family relationships.

Siddharth eventually announced his retirement from politics. In her latest statement, Mayawati expressed hope that after his retirement, the party would now function “properly and smoothly” without the need for repeated organisational changes.

She added, however, that much would depend on Akash.

Akash thanks Mayawati

Following his reinstatement, Anand thanked Mayawati for forgiving him and restoring him to the position of national convenor.

He said the events of recent months had taught him that the Bahujan movement was much larger than any individual. He promised to put the interests of the party and movement ahead of his personal considerations and work with discipline and dedication under Mayawati’s leadership.

The public reconciliation comes just days after his apology, in which he had ruled out joining another political party and sought an opportunity to return to the BSP.

Third return since 2024

Monday’s decision is the latest in a series of removals and reinstatements involving Anand. Mayawati had first removed him from important responsibilities and withdrawn his position as her political successor in May 2024 before restoring him the following month.

Another rupture followed in 2025, when Anand was removed from the BSP before being brought back after an apology. He subsequently regained important organisational responsibilities and emerged again as one of the party’s most visible younger leaders.

The September 2026 episode appeared more definitive when Mayawati first stripped him of his national role and then removed him from the party altogether. His return less than a month later, however, has again placed him at the centre of the BSP’s national organisation.

Focus on organisation

Mayawati used the announcement to reiterate that her decisions were guided by the interests of the Bahujan movement rather than family relationships. She said her family extended beyond her relatives to the entire “Bahujan Samaj” and that she had not hesitated to take strict decisions involving members of her own family when she believed organisational discipline required them.

The BSP is simultaneously stepping up organisational preparations ahead of the next Uttar Pradesh Assembly election, with Mayawati saying the party is working to mobilise different sections of society.

Akash’s reinstatement restores one of the BSP’s most prominent younger faces to its national leadership. It also gives him another opportunity to establish a more stable role in an organisation where his position has changed repeatedly over the past two years.