The official website of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) opens to a smiling portrait of Mayawati. A tab above it says 'The Leadership'. The dropdown reveals three designations. She is there as president; her brother Anand Kumar is vice-president; and Anand Kumar's son Akash has the longest designation, chief national coordinator, as of September 3 night.

Besides numerous pictures of Mayawati, and of Dalit activists and social reformers over the past two centuries, only Akash Anand finds a visual slot, mainly in YouTube thumbnails.

And now even the 31-year-old, foreign-educated nephew finds himself out of favour, for at least the third time in three years, with the latest turn coming in Lucknow earlier in the day.

Mayawati, 70, said on Thursday, at a meeting of the party's national office-bearers, that she would not give Akash Anand any "significant party responsibility". She gave a reason quite familiar in the tumultuous screenplay of her succession plan: "Akash Anand still needs to be more mature." It was not clear whether he lost the designation or just importance.

Akash Anand was absent from the national meeting. His younger brother, Ishan Anand, was present.

Mayawati's 'Alone' Pitch

Besides, she announced that the BSP, which has no MLAs in its primary state of Uttar Pradesh, will contest all elections across the country on its own. UP goes to polls in about six months. As does Punjab, the state with the highest Dalit proportion of all states at 32 per cent of its population, where the BSP had some success in the 1990s. The party's lone MP is Ramji Gautam, in the Rajya Sabha; it has none in the Lok Sabha.

The four-time former chief minister also told party leaders she would herself finalise candidates for the 2027 UP contest, devise the campaign, and monitor fundraising. That last bit, related to raising and using funds, was seen as a reason why Akash Anand has faced repeated action by his aunt.

Mayawati invoked BSP founder Kanshi Ram to justify her decision about her family. "Just as respected Shri Kanshi Ram ji allowed his family members and other relatives to support in party work, but he was opposed to allowing them to contest elections or give them any position if the government was formed, I too remain firmly committed to that resolution. Acting on this, I have allowed Akash Anand to work in the party... However, Akash Anand still needs to be more mature in this matter. Until then, it would not be appropriate to give him significant party responsibilities," she said.

A more overt reason was cited at the time of his original ouster in 2024, when he faced a hate speech FIR as he used some strong words to describe the ruling BJP of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"Till he attains full maturity" was Mayawati's phrase of choice at the time too.

He returned later in 2024, was sacked again, and returned once more last year. In recent speeches, he has attacked both the Modi government and UP's BJP regime led by Yogi Adityanath, besides UP's main Opposition Samajwadi Party. An animated orator, who prefers an extempore style as opposed to Mayawati's self-written paper-reads, he used mirth to speak against price rise and ethanol-blended petrol. Short videos, or reels, featuring bits from his speeches also mock BJP leaders protesting against similar issues when they were in the Opposition.

It is in this context that Mayawati struggles to end the rift at home with her once-chosen successor, who was supposed to take the BSP to a younger voter. A likely alternative was in the room at the September 3 event. Ishan Anand, Anand Kumar's younger son, was brought into party work at Mayawati's birthday event in January 2025. He has held no announced organisational role since, though his presence and his elder brother Akash's absence were read together.

For now, Akash Anand remains with the BSP and is a "youth leader" and "visionary", if you go by the party's official website at  11:55 pm on September 3. An update may well be on the way.