BSP Chief Mayawati Names Akash Anand As Her Successor

The decision was announced during a meeting of the party in Lucknow.

Earlier, in May this year, Anand was removed from the post of national coordinator and as her successor. Mayawati had then written on micro-blogging site—X that he was being removed from the posts till he attained political maturity.

She had also said the party is committed to the ideals of Dr BR Ambedkar and the “ongoing movement for social change”.

The decision to remove Anand in May had surprised the analysts.

On Sunday, she said Anand has been appointed as BSP's national coordinator and was declared her successor for providing momentum to BSP’s “movement”.

Anand became the national coordinator of the BSP in 2019 when Mayawati rejigged the party's organisation after cutting ties with the Samajwadi Party. Anand was named Mayawati's successor in December last year.

In the recently concluded Lok Sabha election, Anand was booked for violating the Model Code of Conduct for using objectionable language at a poll rally in Uttar Pradesh.

"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," Anand had said.

BSP, which won 10 Lok Sabha seats in the 2019 general elections, failed to open its account in the 2024 general elections. Her former ally, Samajwadi Party emerged as the single-largest party in Uttar Pradesh after winning 37 Lok Sabha seats.