Lucknow: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati, on Sunday, appointed her nephew Akash Anand as the party’s national Coordinator while her brother, Anand Kumar, was named the party’s national Vice President.
Akash Anand’s appointment was announced much earlier but a formal announcement has now been made.
His elevation is being seen as a sign of his growing influence in the party affairs.
The son of her younger brother Anand Kumar and a prominent face in Mayawati’s Lok Sabha campaign, Akash Anand had first raised brows with his presence at the birthday celebration of the BSP supremo. She had later announced he would join the party’s “movement” and learn the ropes of politics.
“It is an anti-BSP conspiracy. Dragging in my nephew forces me to think something about it. I will make Akash join the BSP movement and give him a chance to learn,” she had earlier said.
Akash Anand first became visible after his return from London in early 2017. He made his political debut when he accompanied Mayawati during a visit to Saharanpur following a Thakur-Dalit clash.
She first introduced her brother and nephew to party workers on September 18, 2017, during a political rally in Meerut. The introduction was considered as the launch of Akash Anand’s political career. It was the first time Anand Kumar and Akash Anand shared the dais with her.
Akash Anand, who completed his schooling from Delhi, is the eldest of Anand Kumar’s three children.
So far, Akash Anand alone has not held any rally in UP. Now that Mayawati has made him the national Coordinator, it may be that he should openly bat on the pitch of politics.
After an alliance with the Samajwadi Party for the 2019 Parliamentary elections, Akash Anand became more active and was credited with launching Mayawati on Twitter. He was seen with his aunt during election rallies.
(IANS)
