Indian politics recorded a bizarre first of sorts on Thursday. BSP supremo Mayawati told her nephew Akash Anand, “you are out of the party as you didn’t “repost” my post on X and your father-in-law delayed announcing his retirement from politics”.
In a nutshell Mayawati “freed” her nephew Akash Anand out of her party.
The family feud involving “aunt-brother-daughter-in-law-father-in-law” elements may sound filmi. However, beneath the drama lies an intense struggle for the control of BSP. It threatens the future of UP’s one-time significant political player.
An Expulsion And A Sanyas
Akash Anand’s “freeing” from BSP came through a disgruntled post on X on Thursday by Mayawati.
“Akash is more attached to his father-in-law. He has not even reposted my post. If he wants to be independent in the party, he is completely free.”
Mayawati is angry with expelled BSP coordinator and one-time Rajya Sabha MP Siddharth Ashok, Akash Anand’s father-in-law.
In another post on X on September 9n she had made Anand’s return to an active role in the party conditional on Ashok’s “sanyaas” or retirement from politics.
Within 24 hours Ashok complied with his ex-boss’ command. But Mayawati decreed: You are late, Akash is out.
Years ago, Akash had quit govt service to become an activist with BAMSEF, an organisation founded by iconic dalit leader and Mayawati’s mentor Kanshi Ram.
He and Mayawati’s brother Anand Kumar became friends. After he joined the BSP, Mayawati gave him a term in the UP Legislative Council and then sent him to Rajya Sabha. All was well.
Siddharth Ashok was a BSP national coordinator along with Akash Anand, Mayawati’s nephew.
Mayawati at Akash Anand’s wedding in 2003
On March 26, 2023 Akash married his daughter Dr Pragya Siddharth in Gurugram. Mayawati dressed in her reserved-for-special-occasions pink dress was seen blessing the couple.
Nine months later Mayawati declared Akash her successor.
The relationships nosedived after the December 10, 2023 coronation.
Eventually it is the “family connection” that has cost Akash Anand dearly.
Between 2024 and 2026 Mayawati has dished out five public punishments to him.
In May 2024, he was sacked from the national coordinators post and the Mayawati’s successor title was taken away.
In March 2025, he was again sacked from the post and ejected from the party.
On September 3, he was removed from the national convenors post and now on September 10 he was expelled.
The kinship with Akash has led to two expulsions from the party for Siddharth Ashok.
The Latest Ouster
Mayawati didn’t invite Akash for the September 3 party meet at the BSP’s Mall Avenue headquarters in Lucknow. She announced his sacking during the meet. On social media she faced criticism. There were murmurs in her party. Signaling that she was reconsidering her move, Mayawati opened a window for Akash’s continuance in the party. She posted on X: “His father-in-law cares neither for the BSP movement nor Akash Anand. He must announce his political “sanyas” if he wants to help his son-in-law.”
Mayawati with Siddharth Ashok
On Thursday morning, through an emotional post, the father-in-law announced his goodbye to politics. “For the party and Behenji I am ready to lay down my life. I have never tried to grab control of the party and I haven’t been in touch with Akash.”
BSP sources say Mayawati flew into a rage. Why? Because Siddharth Ashok took 24 hours to announce his “sanyas“.
Sources however say that the ex-BSP MP was unwell on Wednesday and was admitted to a Lucknow hospital. That delayed his response to Mayawati’s orders, they say.
Senior BSP sources claim there more drama unfolded behind the scenes. A BSP leader approached Akash Anand on Wednesday asking him to repost Mayawati’s post attacking his father-in-law.
Coincidentally after the September 3 sacking from the national convenors post, Akash had changed his bio profile on X and deleted the app from his phone in a detox move.
A hurt Akash told the leader – what’s the point in reposting as Mayawati doesn’t trust him at all and has referred to him in the X post as Siddharth Ashok’s son-in-law not as her nephew.
The party leader went back and conveyed this to Mayawati.
This was the final straw.
Mayawati termed the father-in-law’s “sanyas” announcement too little too late and expelled Akash.
Power Play Behind The Parivar Tussle
BSP and Mayawati need young, gen-next leaders. Her younger nephew Ishaan Anand is an inexperienced replacement. But insiders claim what went wrong with Akash can repeat itself with Ishan.
Within the BSP there is a struggle for power between a faction of leaders trusted by Mayawati and the family members she inducts and promotes.
These trusted men know they won’t ever be chosen as successor so to protect their turf they find ways to sabotage the dynasts.
“Ashok’s rise had restricted the space for most other leaders and national coordinators. The anointment of Akash Anand as successor and his daughter’s wedding made Ashok immensely powerful,” said a leader.
The growing footprint of the “son-in-law” (son-in-law & father-in-law) combo in party matters gave the struggling-for-space leaders an opportunity to create a rift between the “bua and nephew” (aunt and nephew).
They exploited Mayawati’s personal flaws. Mayawati almost stopped stepping out of her Lucknow’s Mall Avenue home some years ago. She has become increasingly dependent on a small clique of leaders for information, intel and feedback.
She has always been very cautious in delegating space to leaders in her party and never tolerates any “Lakshman Rekha” violations.
These leaders knew her insecurities. She had meted out a similar treatment to Akash’s father Anand Kumar or leaders like Naseemuddin Siddiqui and Babu Lal Kushwaha in the past.
Mayawati with brother Anand Kumar
Mayawati’s brother Anand Kumar started out as a clerk in the Noida authority. He forayed into business after Mayawati rode to power with a clear majority in 2007.
Post demonetisation he was under the lens of tax authorities and ED for his alleged connections with bogus companies.
Post 2014 with the Samajwadi Party under Akhilesh Yadav as CM in Lucknow and the BJP in power at the Centre biting at her heels, Mayawati found handling the party alone was getting tough.
In 2017 she appointed Anand Kumar as the party vice president to run the party in her absence. But she drew a line to keep him in check. She barred him from contesting elections or taking final calls on issues and tickets distribution.
His stature and control over party matters grew. So did the complaints against him by a faction.
In May 2018 she asked her brother to step down at a party meeting. She claimed that now he will work as an ordinary worker to help the BSP escape the charge of promoting dynastic politics.
But in June 2019 the criteria was jettisoned. The brother was back as vice president and his son was in as national coordinator.
Later as national coordinator and anointed successor. Akash Anand was active among workers in different regions and was getting a steady swarm of response on the social platforms and news media.
Mayawati and Akash Anand
The old timers started pushing complaints to Mayawati that ranged from Akash not following her orders to him working with his father-in-law not them.
The chargesheet also included a complaint that guided by the father-in-law Akash was replacing old systems with new ones for running the party and collection of funds.
The seeds of doubt worked and Akash was ousted first in 2024 and the successor title was taken away.
Mayawati brought him back but the power seekers knew his presence will always be a threat in a party whose base was shrinking.
They were constantly providing “evidence” to prove that Akash was creating his own clique aided by his father-in-law and is out to stage a coup.
That’s why Mayawati took away the successor crown and declared as long as she is there, BSP will remain without her heir.
The script for the latest ouster and expulsion of Akash Anand is virtually the same.
Sources say foreign educated Akash as national convenor had plans to bring in new-age ideas.
He is known to have suggested that the BSP must use the over Rs 600 crore party corpus for expansion and campaign.
He kickstarted the BSP’s campaign for 2027 polls from a rally at Sadabad in Hathras in August. That created a buzz rose that he will play a key role in ticket distribution.
His next rally was in Noida’s Jewar. Sources say as national convenor he decided the venue. Acting on complaints Mayawati ordered him to take her permission for organising any event.
His rivals complained to Mayawati that the Jewar rally was not beamed live on BSP’s official social media page. And it was aided and abetted by the father-in-law.
Mayawati reacted sharply and on September 3 demoted him.
Akash Anand and his wife Dr Pragya Siddharth
Who Are The Detractors?
BSP sources say two powerful BSP leaders seem to have played a key role in precipitating the situation.
They say that after Akash was demoted on September 3, there were angry reactions on social media. A Delhi-based YouTuber posted a video questioning the manner in which BSP was being run.
Aakash’s father-in-law reposted the video.
A screenshot of the repost and all the details of the video reached Mayawati. Some BSP leaders claim that party stalwart Satish Mishra delivered it to her. This was seen as evidence and indiscipline.
Right after this Mayawati promoted her younger nephew Ishan Anand as party’s chief sector incharge.
The other pole in the power struggle is party’s lone Rajya Sabha MP Ramji Gautam. He rose the ranks from the grassroots and Akash Anand’s father-in-law was his first mentor. They both were national coordinators.
Due to his relationship with Mayawati’s nephew Akash, the father-in-law enjoyed an edge. And that didn’t go down well with Ramji Gautam.
It’s interesting to note that each time Siddharth Ashok or Akash Anand lost ground in the BSP, the immediate beneficiary has been Ramji Gautam.
In this round too, after Akash’s demotion Mayawati made him the sector incharge for 10 states.
Some senior BSP leaders claim that during the party meet on September 3 during which Akash was demoted, Ramji Gautam had proposed, “if Akash has to work in the BSP his father-in-law needs to quit politics.”
On September 9, Mayawati placed this as a condition for considering a return route for Akash. It was almost clear who was setting the narrative in the party.
Siddharth Ashok in his emotive post announcing “sanyas” has mentioned that his rivals are feeding false information to Mayawati.
Fear Is The Key
Men can never fathom how tough is it for women to operate in India’s political cauldron. It’s been no different for Mayawati , a four-term chief minister.
Along with Kanshi Ram, she has been the face, the vote-getter. Still, she had to lead the party past backstabbing, poaching and corruption by BSP leaders who were totally dependent on her.
She has always been worried that someone may stage a coup against her although the central unit of her party registered with the Election Commission is full of Mayawati’s trusted men who will never revolt and ally with Akash or someone to take over the controls from her.
But Mayawati is not Kanshi Ram who groomed her since 1977 and made her his successor at a public rally in 2001.
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