Lucknow: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati on Thursday said that the party’s national convenor, Akash Anand, was “not mature enough” to handle key responsibilities and needs time to mature before being entrusted with “big assignments”, ahead of the high-stakes elections.
Though the BSP chief refrained from stating it in no uncertain terms, the message goes loud and clear that her nephew Akash Anand’s days are numbered and he won’t lead the party, as its national convenor, in the UP elections next year.
The searing remarks from the BSP supremo come just days after the party sounded the poll bugle from Hathras last month, with Akash Anand leading the charge.
Addressing a meeting of the party’s national committee at the BSP’s state unit office, Mayawati said Akash Anand will continue working within the party but won’t be entrusted with big responsibility given his “immature handling” of the situation.
“I have allowed Mr Akash Anand to work in the party, a fact that is before you all. However, Mr Akash Anand still needs to mature further in this matter. Until then, it would not be appropriate to give him significant party responsibilities,” she said.
She added that it is important to save the party and also embolden its people connect while staving off opponents’ attempts to weaken it through tactics like bribery, coercion, and discrimination.
After Mayawati’s announcement, Akash Anand also updated his profile on his X account. He was elevated as the party’s national convenor last year but has now changed his X profile to a BSP worker, leaving his supporters disappointed and dismayed over the development.
Notably, Akash Anand was appointed the BSP’s national convenor in August 2025. This made him the party’s de facto second-in-command and signalled his emergence as Mayawati’s political heir apparent.
The BSP chief had also said that Akash Anand will play a key role in reviving BSP’s prospects in UP Assembly elections and would reengage the party with young voters, who have been moving away from the party, in search of better options.
