BSP's Family Feud Deepens as Mayawati Reshuffles Nephews' Roles
Mayawati's latest actions against nephew Akash Anand and promotion of Ishan Anand have intensified a family feud within the BSP.
The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is facing a fresh internal crisis as a power struggle within its first family intensifies. Two significant developments on Sunday have raised questions about the party's preparedness for the upcoming Uttar Pradesh assembly elections.
In the most recent sign of discord, Akash Anand, who was removed as National Convenor earlier this month, has again changed his social media profile. His bio now reads 'Party Supporter, BSP', a further step back from his previous designation as a 'Party Worker'. This move is seen as an attempt to create distance between himself and the party's top leadership.
Simultaneously, his younger brother, Ishan Anand, has been elevated to the position of 'Chief Sector Coordinator'. In this new role, he is expected to oversee party activities in key states like West Bengal and Odisha, reporting directly to party chief Mayawati and his father, Anand Kumar.
This latest reshuffle is part of a recurring pattern of promotions and demotions for Akash Anand. After being anointed as Mayawati's successor in 2023, he was stripped of his duties in May 2024, only to be reinstated a month later. He faced a similar removal in March 2025 and was briefly expelled before being readmitted in April. His most recent ouster came earlier this month when Mayawati cited his lack of maturity.
Party insiders suggest that Mayawati believes Akash is still under the influence of his father-in-law, a former confidante who was expelled from the party. By promoting Ishan and sidelining Akash, she is signaling that she alone holds ultimate control over the party's affairs.
In a related move, Mayawati has taken direct charge of all matters pertaining to the crucial poll-bound states of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, with decisions now being made from the party's Lucknow headquarters. This centralization of power places her brother, Anand Kumar, in a difficult position as the father of both nephews.
The BSP is also grappling with the challenge of protecting its traditional Dalit vote bank against the rising influence of the Azad Samaj Party and its leader, Chandrashekhar Azad. The party's leadership is now awaiting Mayawati's next move to see how she plans to address these internal and external pressures.