Who is Akash Anand, BSP supremo Mayawati's nephew, now sacked as party co-ordinator and her 'successor'

On April 28, Akash Anand was booked in a case of violation of Model Code of Conduct along with four others for allegedly using objectionable language at a poll rally in Sitapur

Less than five months after passing the mantle to him, former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Tuesday removed her nephew Akash Anand from the position of party national co-ordinator and her political successor.

Announcing the decision on X, Mayawati said she has taken the decision in the larger interest of the party and Anand is being removed from the positions till he attains "full maturity". She further stated that her brother and Akash's father Anand Kumar will continue to fulfil his responsibilities as before.

The surprise decision came on the day voting was being held for the third phase of the Lok Sabha elections in the country.

Who is Akash Anand and why has he been removed?

1. In December last year, Mayawati had declared her nephew Akash Anand (28) -- the son of her brother Anand Kumar -- as her “uttaradhikari (heir)”. The announcement was made during a meeting that was attended by party leaders from all over the country.

2. Holding an MBA degree from a London institute, Akash has been active in politics since the year 2017. According to reports, his political debut was with the BSP supremo at a rally in Uttar Pradesh's Saharanpur, where he shared the stage with prominent names like Akhilesh Yadav and Ajit Singh.

3. Akash reportedly addressed his first rally in Agra, Uttar Pradesh in 2019. At that time, BSP was part of the Mahagathbandhan -- a coalition opposing both the BJP as well as the Congress -- in the run-up to the 2019 general election. In the same year, Akash was appointed the national coordinator of the party.

4. Akash is also credited with bringing in a major shift in not organising padayatras and demonstrations, after he launched a 14-day “Sarvajan Hitay, Sarvajan Sukhay” Sankalp Yatra in 2023. The move had repositioned the BSP’s strategy ahead of the assembly polls in Rajasthan and the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, according to a report by The Indian Express.

5. Going by Akash Anand's official Instagram handle, he describes himself as "a young supporter of Baba Saheb's vision" and that he stands for "education, empowerment and equality."

6. On April 28, Akash Anand was booked in a case of violation of Model Code of Conduct along with four others for allegedly using objectionable language at a poll rally in Sitapur. The action had come after the district administration's took suo motu cognisance of Anand's speech at the rally.

7. "This government is a bulldozer government and a government of traitors. The party that leaves its youth hungry and enslaves its elderly is a terrorist government. Taliban runs such a government in Afghanistan," he had said in criticism of the BJP-led state government.

8. In a post in Hindi on X, Mayawati said, "BSP, besides being a party, is also a movement for self-respect and self-esteem of Baba Saheb Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar and social change for which Shri Kanshi Ram ji and I have dedicated our entire lives and a new generation is also being prepared to give it momentum."

9. She said, "In this direction, along with promoting other people in the party, I had declared Shri Akash Anand as the National Co-ordinator and his successor, but in the larger interest of the party and the movement, he is being divested of both these important responsibilities until he attains full maturity."

2. इसी क्रम में पार्टी में, अन्य लोगों को आगे बढ़ाने के साथ ही, श्री आकाश आनन्द को नेशनल कोओर्डिनेटर व अपना उत्तराधिकारी घोषित किया, किन्तु पार्टी व मूवमेन्ट के व्यापक हित में पूर्ण परिपक्वता (maturity) आने तक अभी उन्हें इन दोनों अहम जिम्मेदारियों से अलग किया जा रहा है।

— Mayawati (@Mayawati) May 7, 2024

(With inputs from agencies)