UP: Maya’s nephew her political successor? Buzz gets louder

AGRA: Was it Mayawati's way to anoint nephew Akash Anand as her political successor? That was the buzz in Agra as Akash, the 24-year-old MBA from London, sat in the chair reserved for the BSP supremo at the joint rally of SP-BSP-RLD alliance here on Tuesday. The BSP chief couldn't attend the rally due to the 48-hour ban imposed on her by the Election Commission. A bespectacled Akash, dressed in a casual white shirt a blue pair of jeans, sat confidently with RLD chief Ajit Singh, BSP general secretary Satish Mishra and SP president Akhilesh Yadav.

Akash, who is the son of Mayawati’s younger brother Anand, gained the spotlight in the last few months. He was spotted standing behind her when she met Akhilesh in Lucknow on her birthday on January 15 this year. He was also present on the dais at the joint SP-BSP-RLD rally in Deoband on April 7.



His name appears on the third spot in the list of BSP’s star campaigners for the 2019 LS polls after Mayawati and BSP national general secretary Satish Chandra Sharma.

Akash made his first official public appearance in 2016 when he accompanied Mayawati to Saharanpur. He was introduced to senior party functionaries by Mayawati in 2017.

However, when there was a media spotlight on him during her birthday celebration this year, Maywati announced that she would involve him in party affairs. She had also added, if anyone had a problem with that, so be it.

Akash’s debut as a speaker at a political rally on Tuesday was one more step towards his anointment.