Mayawati reinstates nephew Akash Anand as BSP national coordinator

LUCKNOW: BSP supremo Mayawati on Sunday reinstated her nephew Akash Anand as the national coordinator and her successor in the party, expressing hope that he will handle the responsibilities with "maturity" this time. Akash is the son of Mayawati's brother Anand Kumar.
On May 7, during the third phase of LS elections, Mayawati had removed Akash from his roles due to "lack of maturity".She had tweeted: "In the larger interest of the party and the movement, Akash Anand is being removed from the two significant responsibilities till he attains maturity...."
After appointing him again as the second-in-command in the party, she said: "I hope he will emerge as a mature leader in the interest of our party and movement at every level." Mayawati also hoped that people in the party will support and encourage him more this time, "so that he emerges true to my expectations".
He was also declared the party's star campaigner for bypolls in Punjab and Uttarakhand along with Mayawati. The earlier decision to remove him followed a campaign speech in Sitapur on April 28 where Akash used unparliamentary language against political opponents, leading to an FIR against him and 39 others.
However, the primary concern was BSP's diminishing chances in the elections, as it became apparent that the Jatav vote had shifted away from the party.
In the 2024 elections, BSP did not win any seats in UP, with its vote share dropping from 19.4% in 2019 to 9.3%. It had secured 10 seats in 2019. Akash, after being named Mayawati's successor in Dec 2023, campaigned extensively for the first time, holding 17 rallies before being benched on May 7. "There was a demand in the party to bring him back. I thank Behenji for giving him the responsibilities," said BSP state president Vishwanath Pal.