Mayawati re-inducts Akash Anand into BSP, makes him national coordinator

• Mayawati re-inducted Akash Anand into the BSP and appointed him national coordinator, three days after his apology.

• His return marks the third expulsion-and-reinstatement in just over two years, keeping the BSP’s succession question alive.

• Mayawati said Anand’s future would depend on his conduct, discipline and loyalty to the party.

Three days after Akash Anand apologised to her, BSP chief and four-time Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati on Monday, 5 October re-inducted her nephew into the party and appointed him national coordinator, ending his 25-day expulsion.

The move is the latest in a series of reversals by Mayawati over Anand’s political future. In the past two years, she has twice expelled and subsequently brought him back, underscoring both her tight control over the BSP and the uncertainty surrounding the party’s succession question.

Announcing the decision, Mayawati said it had been taken after “careful consideration” and in the interest of the party and the Bahujan movement. She made it clear, however, that Anand’s return would be closely watched and that his conduct and ability to maintain discipline in the organisation would be crucial.

Anand was expelled from the BSP on 10 September, shortly after his father-in-law Siddharth announced his retirement from politics. Mayawati subsequently appointed Anand’s younger brother, Ishan Anand, as national coordinator, giving him organisational responsibility for 19 states.

Three days before his reinstatement, Anand apologised to Mayawati over what he described as a misunderstanding arising from his silence. He said he had distanced himself from social media at the time and sought forgiveness if his silence had hurt her.

“You are my political guru, my inspiration, and also my paternal aunt. Whatever I have learned in politics, I learned from you; whatever I have done, I did under your guidance,” Anand wrote.

Seeking another opportunity to work for the BSP and the Bahujan movement under Mayawati’s leadership, Anand said: “Trust is not built with words, but with actions, and I will prove it through my conduct and my hard work. Baba Saheb’s mission, Manyavar Saheb’s path, and your leadership. This is my politics.”

According to Mayawati, party workers had noticed a change in Anand’s personality and working style, particularly after his recent post on X expressing his desire to return to the BSP. She said a majority of party members had supported his request and favoured giving him another opportunity to work in the responsibilities he had held earlier.

Emphasising that the “entire Bahujan Samaj” was her family, Mayawati said its welfare remained her priority. She said she had taken several strict decisions in recent days to enforce discipline in the party and that relatives and their families could not be exempted from such action.

Anand’s reinstatement is the latest turn in his often turbulent political relationship with Mayawati. He was expelled from the BSP in May 2024 and again in March 2025, and was taken back within a month on both occasions. The latest episode therefore marks the third time in little over two years that Mayawati has reversed an expulsion involving her nephew.

The repeated reversals have also kept alive questions about Mayawati’s succession plans for the BSP. Anand entered active politics in 2017 and was first appointed national coordinator in 2019. He was made a star campaigner for the BSP in Himachal Pradesh in 2023 and was subsequently projected as a potential successor to Mayawati.

But his rise has been far from linear. His perceived proximity to his in-laws’ family has reportedly been a source of distrust between him and Mayawati, while his repeated comebacks suggest that, despite the disagreements, the BSP chief has not given up on the possibility of a larger organisational role for him.

The latest decision also comes at a time when the BSP is seeking to rebuild its organisation and political relevance in Uttar Pradesh.

Restoring Anand to a key organisational post could signal that Mayawati still sees him as an important part of that effort, even as she has repeatedly demonstrated that no position in the party is beyond her authority to withdraw.