Mayawati names nephew Anand as her successor

BSP chief Mayawati on Sunday declared her nephew Akash Anand as her political successor, a party office-bearer said.

During an all-India meeting of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) here, she also asked party leaders and workers to strengthen the organisation ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, according to an official statement. It, however, did not have any mention of Anand being declared her successor. “Akash has been declared the ‘uttaradhikari’ by Mayawatiji,” Udayveer Singh, the BSP’s Shahjahanpur district unit chief, told reporters.

“He has been given the responsibility to strengthen the party organisation where it is weak all over the country, except in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand,” Singh said. He said Mayawati announced the decision during the all-India meeting of the BSP in Lucknow, which was attended by party leaders from across the country.

“She said he (Anand) will be her political heir after her,” Singh said. Confirming the development related to Anand, who is the party’s national coordinator at present, BSP MLC Bhim Rao Ambedkar said, “We have got a youth leader in Akash Anand. In states where the party organisation is weak, Anand will be strengthening it.” The BSP’s mission will continue, he said.

On his bio on X, Anand describes himself as “a young supporter of Baba Saheb’s vision” and according to BSP MLC Ambedkar, he is 27-year-old. “He (Anand) has been associated with the BSP since 2017. During the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, he had addressed a rally in Agra,” Ambedkar said. Anand has done his MBA from London, BSP MLA Uma Shankar Singh said. He also added that Mayawati has announced that Anand would be her political successor Asked about announcement, BSP Uttar Pradesh chief Vishwanath Pal said, “Pura Bahujan samaj khush hai (the entire Bahujan community is happy).”