BSP chief Mayawati says she will promote Ishan Anand in the party
Internal Family Disputes Lead to Party Leadership Change
On September 10, Akash was removed from his position as the national convener of the party. This decision followed the announcement of his father-in-law, Ashok Siddharth, regarding his retirement from politics, which revealed underlying family tensions within the party. Akash had previously been appointed as the national coordinator in May 2019 and was declared the political successor of Mayawati in December 2023. His rise to national convener occurred in August 2025, marking a significant trajectory within the party until this recent upheaval.
Earlier reporting noted: Mayawati has convened a meeting of the party’s all-India committee on Wednesday (September 23) to announce her decision in this regard. Earlier reporting noted: Earlier, on September 12, Mayawati said that none of her nephews would be given any position in the party organisation.
Lucknow: Ahead of BSP’s national-level meeting scheduled for Sept 23, party chief Mayawati on Sunday said she will assign her younger nephew, Ishan Anand, a “respectable” responsibility in the organisation and promote him in politics, while keeping his elder brother Akash Anand and sister Deepika Anand away from party roles. She said it was at Anand Kumar’s request that she brought Akash into politics, but claimed that following his marriage, Akash’s conduct and actions made it necessary to remove him from the party. “I can never act against the party,” she said, framing the decision as organisational rather than personal. Mayawati said the episode left her weighing who, if anyone, from her brother’s family should be advanced in politics, and that it had to be someone who would not repeat Akash’s “footsteps. She said it would be appropriate to keep Akash and Deepika “completely away” from the party and to bring forward only Ishan from Anand Kumar’s family.
She reiterated that accommodating Akash again would amount to a betrayal of the party. Mayawati added that Ishan would also be removed if he committed any serious anti-party act, and that in such a scenario no one from Anand Kumar’s family would be given responsibility, with a committed Dalit party worker to be promoted instead. She will also make announcements regarding the party’s preparations for the upcoming assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Uttarakhand as well as changes in the party organisation at the national level. If her brother Anand Kumar, the party’s national vice president, requires assistance, he can take help of his daughter Deepika Anand who is studying law.
She noted that she had earlier stated neither Akash nor Ishan, nor their future children, would be given party posts, while Deepika could be considered if committed to the party’s cause. In a lengthy statement on Sunday, Mayawati said she had followed the approach of BSP founder Kanshi Ram by keeping close relatives away from political benefits, but added that as a woman she had her younger brother living with her for several years. On Sunday, she ruled out Deepika’s elevation, citing the possibility that her marriage could create a situation similar to Akash’s. Earlier reporting noted: Nephew Ishan to get BSP role, no change on Akash: Mayawati Changing her earlier stand that both her nephews would not be given any responsibility in the party organisation, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Sunday announced that her younger nephew Ishan Anand will be given a respectable responsibility in the party.