Promote, Punish, Repeat: Decoding Mayawati's Akash Anand Puzzle

Socialist ideologue Madhu Limaye had once described political progeny (or dynasty in politics) as a "curse" for democracy. But sometimes politics is not a cake-walk even for the dynasts.

No one knows this political anomaly better than young BSP leader Akash Anand. Especially because his dynastic party boss is someone as mercurial and cautious as BSP's 'behenji'.

Political history will record that Akash's entry into politics and his quick elevation as national convenor, the BSP's virtual number 2 post, was only because he is the son of Anand Kumar, party supremo Mayawati's brother.

But BSP watchers know that his political journey resembles a not-so fortunate player in a game of snakes and ladders.

His seven-year-long political journey is a story of promotions and punishment, removals and reinstatements.

Anand's rise within the BSP was meteoric, propelled by Mayawati. He was appointed BSP national coordinator and Mayawati anointed him her successor.

Then he was sacked from the post before the 2024 polls and was ejected from the party.

He was re-inducted in the party to be sacked again in 2025. Following that he was brought in again and appointed BSP national convenor. And now he has been sacked again.

Akash Anand's social media bio has been switching like the score board of a high scoring T20 match - from BSP national coordinator to BSP worker to BSP national convenor to BSP worker and supporter of Baba Ambedkar's vision.

The BSP cadres, who in the last few months were getting used to Akash Anand being the party's star campaigner and future public face, were told on Thursday that he has been ejected out of the party's number two post.

The young leader who launched the BSP's campaign for UP 2027 three weeks ago, on Thursday was told by his mentor and he still "needs to mature".

"Akash Anand still needs to mature. Till then, it would not be appropriate to give him a major responsibility in the party," Mayawati said at a national level meeting of BSP office-bearers at the party headquarters on Lucknow's Mall Road.

Akash bowed for the sixth time to his aunt's command.

The first indication that something was amiss came when Akash Anand didn't turn up for the meeting. This could only mean Mayawati had asked him to stay away.

As Mayawati entered the meeting venue, she was followed by Akash Anand's younger brother Ishan Anand with a blue BSP sash around his neck. He stood behind her till she sat down.

Everyone in the room understood that an alternative to the alternative was being presented.

Sources say Akash's father Anand Kumar, the BSP vice president looking after the party's finances, legal cases and other portfolios, had prior information about the move but he could do nothing. He and his sons owe everything to 'behenji'.

The leaders emerged from the meeting confused. They had questions. Who will lead the campaign along with Mayawati? Who will succeed Mayawati?

They couldn't dare ask.

A leader who attended the meeting said in a petrified whisper: "Akash was shaping well. He had led two rallies in the last couple of months. Most senior leaders had established a working relationship with him."

There are serious concerns. For the last few years "behenji" has made limited public appearances. The party's fortunes have been plummeting.

In 2007 the BSP led by Mayawati had broken a 22-year era of fractured mandates and coalition governments in Uttar Pradesh by winning 206 out of 403 seats. The last majority mandate in UP before that was for the Congress in 1985 with 269 seats.

But in the 2022 Assembly polls BSP was restricted to just one MLA.

From 21 seats in 2009 Lok Sabha, it had fallen to zero in both 2014 and 2024.

BSP cadres were happy with the entry of Akash Anand as he represented new generation, promised a fresh vision and was approachable.

Why Third Time Unlucky?

The development in the BSP is unprecedented. Never before has any Indian party elevated a family member and dumped him or her unceremoniously thrice within a span of three years.

The question arises: why Akash Anand became third time unlucky?

Top sources say there could be few contributing factors.

Many say that Akash invited the wrath of his aunt due to a twitter post and two aggressive political outings.

First came the BSP campaign launch rally in Hathras' Sadabad area on August 10. Akash Anand attacked the UP and central govts on paper leaks to connect with young voters. He visibly positioned himself as a younger alternative to Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi. His jibes were cheeky and he was cheered by the crowds. He referred to both as "uncle", pointing out that he was 30 years old while the two leaders were above 50. There was aggression and connection.

Next on August 17 came a post on X by Akash batting for a rapido cab driver in Lucknow.

The cab was booked by four government officials. During the journey they kept making casteist remarks against a Dalit colleague. The driver objected and later asked the officials to exit the vehicle. The video went viral and the cab company promptly suspended the driver's account for 99 years and 11 months.

Akash Anand fired a post on X against the action taken by the company. He targeted the RSS chief and mentioned that he was reflecting Mayawati's vision.

On August 25 in his address at a huge rally in Noida's Dankaur he attacked the UP government for spending thousands of crores of rupees on advertisements and ignoring unemployment in the state.

Some analysts say Mayawati didn't like the aggression and stridence displayed by Akash, his active presence on social media and how the party workers were gravitating towards him.

Ejection Or Extraction?

It's plausible that all the above incidents contributed to Akash's ejection. Mayawati is an extremely cautious leader and orator. She doesn't speak extempore and has always chosen to read out a personally handwritten script full of specific messages and appeals. She also expects party leader to speak along the dotted lines or follow the 'laxman rekhas' she draws and keeps redrawing.

But Akash's past two ousters indicate a pattern. Could there be method behind what's being called madness?

Let's rewind to the last two times Akash was removed. He shot into prominence during the 2019 Lok Sabha campaign.

On April 7, 2019, Mayawati, at a rally at Deoband, asked Muslims to vote in a consolidated manner in favour of the candidates of the SP-BSP coalition.

Election Commission of India barred Mayawati from holding public meetings, road shows, media interviews and including social media for 48 hours, starting from April 16, 2019.

To fill the void Akash was roped in. He addressed his first political rally at Agra and the floodgates of speculation about him becoming her successor opened up.  

In 2019 the BSP won 10 Lok Sabha seats but the SP-BSP alliance bombed. Akash's big moment came in 2022. He was made national coordinator and given charge of poll bound Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. He carried out "sarvajan hitaye, sarvajan sukhaye" sankalp yatras.

On September 10, 2023 came the virtual coronation. Mayawati anointed him her successor at a national level party meet.

But within six months the crown was yanked away. 

The setback came on May 7, 2024, a few days after he was accused of using "unparliamentary language" during Lok Sabha campaign speeches in Sitapur and Unnao. Police registered an FIR against Anand and 39 others. Mayawati didn't make an announcement at a party meet. She posted on X that "in the larger interest of the party and the movement, Anand was being stripped of two significant responsibilities till he attains maturity". He was removed from the national coordinator's post and the successor status was withdrawn.

Mayawati and Akash Anand

The point to be noted is that this ouster happened during the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

But her anger disappeared within a month. On June 23, 2024 Mayawati asserted faith in Akash and he was reinstated in both roles.

The axe fell for the second time in March 2025. Mayawati again ejected him out of the two roles on March 2, 2025.

A day later, Akash was even expelled from the party. Mayawati claimed he was "under the influence of his father-in-law, and expelled one time confidante Ashok Siddharth."

On April 13, 2025 Akash issued a public apology and was readmitted into the party the same day in what seemed to be an orchestrated exercise.

In August 2025, Mayawati created a new national convener post and promoted Anand to it.

The second ouster had visible reasons like insecurity written all over it.

Since she took over the party's control from mentor Kanshi Ram, Mayawati has kept her turf marked in bold. Any leader who has tried to inch close to it or managed to gain some toehold in the party had to face trimming of powers or ouster. She gets feedback on party affairs and leaders through a select group. Akash's rise and nephew status had reduced the space for the old guard. Sources say the detractors managed to sow the idea in her mind that Akash's father-in-law, Siddharth Anand and his wife Pragya, had plotted a troika to take control of the party. In fact, in a press release Mayawati subtly referred to his wife as "that girl" Instead of naming her.

Mayawati paying tributes to BR Ambedkar

The losses suffered by the BSP in Haryana and Delhi polls also hit Akash's stock as he was in-charge of these states. Then came the complaints against him that he was dismantling the BSP's traditional method of fundraising within the party. His detractors convinced Mayawati that he was challenging her and the rules created by Kanshi Ram.

Soon his brother Ishan Anand was inducted and promoted to the same level. A clear sign that Akash wasn't the chosen one.

This presents a very complex political paradox Mayawati faces. She doesn't trust anybody out of the family fold to grow big in the party. But after propping a family member she gets worried that he may become a parallel power centre and threat to her.

Is There A Catch?

Mayawati may be mercurial and her party may be fighting for survival. All three big UP players - Congress, SP and BJP - have allied with her and suffered.

But two things are a constant: Her political instinct and command over a sizeable Dalit voters.

And I wonder if Akash's ejection is actually a crafted extraction. Let's try to find the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle.

Mayawati and BSP's best performance ever in UP came in 2007. The BSP's symbol rode to power on a slogan - "hathi badhata jayega, brahman shankh bajayega". This was a complete u-turn from BSP's aggressive anti-upper castes slogan "tilak, tarazu aur talwar, inko maaro joote chaar."

Her mentor Kashi Ram had passed away in October 2006. Still, she designed a hard-to-recreate social engineering feat by bringing the Dalit and Brahmin voters together.

But by the time her five-year tenure ended in 2012 the social alliance had fallen apart. Since then it's been a downhill journey for her party.

But realising that currently there is unrest among the upper castes, especially the Brahmins, her focus seems to be turning back to the small in size but socially significant caste.

Mayawati, Akash Anand and Satish Chadra Mishra

Recently in a statement she stated: "Satish Chandra Mishra who has been the BSP's national general secretary for a long time, has now been entrusted by the party with important responsibilities. His role will be important in many ways, especially during the forthcoming Assembly general elections."

This means Mishra, who was sidelined for some time following complaints by old timers in BSP, is back in favour.

He had joined the BSP in 2004 directly as national general secretary without coming up through grassroots party movements. In the run up to the 2007 Assembly win Mishra organised statewide Brahmin Bhaichara Sammelans (brotherhood meets) to pull the upper-caste votes.

His rapid rise had bypassed old-school BSP leaders. As power started centralising around him, there was discontent. Friction led to exit of several senior OBC and Muslim leaders over the years.

The return of Mishra at the top and removal of Akash may be unrelated but need scrutiny as the moves when seen together have a political logic.

If Akash had continued as number two the BSP would have entered the polls with an all-family and an all-Dalit top rung.

That would have strengthened the BJP's charge that all its opponents are practitioners of dynastic politics. Also, an all-Dalit top would have created a perception among non-Dalit voters that it's a party controlled by one caste. The Mayawati-Mishra combo provides a better caste bouquet. Experts say Akash's sacking is ill-timed as elections are round the corner. But if Akash's ouster is deciphered as a signal that Mayawati jettisoned a Dalit family member to elevate a Brahmin leader then the timing is perfect.

Footnote

The third dethroning of Akash Anand muddies the road ahead for the BSP. The party that changed the political landscape of UP and India desperately needs a new drawing board and ideas to work on. Akash has the potential to galvanise young voters across caste lines as he speaks their language. Perhaps Mayawati can do for Akash what her mentor Kanshi Ram did for her. In 1977 Kanshi Ram heard Mayawati deliver a fiery speech. He tracked her down and asked young Mayawati to quit her IAS dream and join him. For the next 24 odd years he ignored personal ambitions and guided Mayawati till December 15,2001 when he declared her his heir and successor.

Mayawati will find it difficult to trust someone in the party to pass on the baton. The family is her best option. That's why her promote and punish Akash cycle needs to end.