By Aditi S Bade
The Bahujan Samaj Party has seen significant political development. BSP Chief Mayawati has expelled her nephew, Akash Anand, from the party. This comes a day after his removal as the national coordinator of the party. There was Anand’s selfish and arrogant behavior in response to the removal of his important responsibilities which led to the grounds for his expulsion, as reasoned by Mayawati.
Hitherto viewed as Mayawati’s possible political successor, Akash Anand presents a scenario of a very soon developed entry inside BSP. His rise in the party was very much contingent on the hands of his father-in-law Ashok Siddharth, a senior leader in BSP who is also a former Rajya Sabha MP. Developments took a contorted turn when his mother-in-law Mayawati expelled Siddharth on 12 February 2025, ordering that factionalism and anti-party activities be condemned.
Siddharth’s expulsion was just a precursor to the latest actions taken against Anand. According to insiders, Mayawati was reportedly uneasy about Anand being under Siddharth’s influence, which purportedly led to the formation of some parallel power structures within the BSP. Such an internal split would be worsened by how badly the party had fared in elections recently, including the Delhi Assembly polls, where candidates fielded from BSP could not get convincing support.
It runs clearly and precisely that the fights need to be over, and the party needs strong united cooperation. The shake-up sends clear signals that discipline will be most important and not leave room for dissent anymore. The expulsion cites that it is “in the interest and movement” of the BSP, pointing at addressing within issues that could cripple the party’s objectives.
This is also a reflection of the ongoing battle to re-establish that authority and steer the BSP through a period of self-introspection and restructuring by Mayawati. To that end, internal dissent and factionalism are being eliminated to rejuvenate the party’s core philosophies to strengthen its organizational framework in preparation for the next electoral challenges.
While the party orients itself in this transition, they measure things with weights of support and reaffirm the belief that they are there to stand on the behalf of those who do not often have a seat at the table. Mayawati’s actions will prove to be a strategic one so that the party remains coherent and aligned with its foundations now and later in history. The future trajectory unfolds in India’s political landscape as to what lies ahead for the party.