In a fresh twist to an already turbulent family-cum-political saga, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati has once again expelled her nephew Akash Anand from the party, this time citing his refusal to amplify her message on social media platform X as proof of divided loyalty.
The central figures in this unfolding drama are Mayawati, the BSP’s longtime chief and former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh; her 31-year-old nephew Akash Anand, once anointed as her political heir; and Ashok Siddharth, a former Rajya Sabha and Legislative Council member who is also Akash’s father-in-law.
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Mayawati announced on Thursday, September 10, that Akash has been “fully relieved” of all party responsibilities, reversing an earlier conditional offer that could have restored his standing within BSP. The precondition she had set was straightforward on paper: Siddharth needed to formally withdraw from political life. When he eventually did so on Thursday morning, expectations briefly rose that Akash’s suspension might be lifted. Instead, hours later, Mayawati moved to sever ties with her nephew entirely.
The episode has unfolded across several weeks. On September 3, Akash was stripped of his role as national coordinator, though he retained status as an ordinary party member. On September 9, Mayawati signalled a possible path back for him, contingent on Siddharth’s retirement. Siddharth complied the following day, September 10 — but by then, Mayawati had already decided Akash’s fate.
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The developments centre on the current scenario in Uttar Pradesh politics, where BSP has been working to reassert itself ahead of the 2027 state assembly elections, and where the party’s internal hierarchy is closely watched, given its historical significance to Dalit politics in the state.
According to Mayawati’s own detailed explanation posted on X, the deciding factor was not Siddharth’s retirement announcement itself, but Akash’s conduct in the interim — specifically, his failure to repost her message urging his father-in-law’s exit from politics. She pointed out that Akash had, in the past, routinely shared her posts as a gesture of allegiance, and interpreted his silence this time as evidence that his personal ties to Siddharth outweighed his commitment to the party and the broader Bahujan movement.
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Mayawati further argued that Siddharth’s delayed compliance — rather than an immediate response to her earlier public appeal — exposed what she described as lingering ambition and irresolution on his part, rendering his eventual gesture too little, too late.
The rupture appears to have been triggered less by any single dramatic incident and more by an accumulation of perceived slights. Siddharth, for his part, pushed back against accusations that he had sought to influence or manipulate Akash, maintaining he had barely interacted with him in recent months and suggesting internal rivals had worked against him. He also urged Mayawati not to conflate his own political exit with decisions about Akash’s future, reminding her that Akash was her nephew first, and his son-in-law second — while ultimately still stepping back from public life “at this very moment.”
For Akash, this marks yet another chapter in what has been an unusually turbulent tenure marked by repeated promotions, demotions, and reinstatements since 2019, including a previous expulsion and apology-driven return just last year. His removal now also shifts attention toward his younger brother, Ishan Anand, recently elevated to oversee BSP operations outside Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand — a move that, while not an official succession, has fuelled fresh speculation about the party’s future leadership structure.
Beyond the family dynamics, analysts note the timing carries broader stakes: the BSP has struggled electorally in recent years, managing just a single assembly seat in 2022 and failing to win any Lok Sabha seat in 2024, even as rival Dalit leader Chandrashekhar Azad gains ground in western Uttar Pradesh. With 2027 on the horizon, the party’s internal instability could carry consequences well beyond one strained family relationship.
