Mayawati reinstates nephew Akash Anand as successor
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati has once again named her nephew, Akash Anand, as her successor and the party's national coordinator. The announcement was made during a meeting of the party's office bearers in Lucknow on Sunday, just a month after Mayawati removed him as her political successor, saying he was yet to "fully mature." The 29-year-old was first named as Mayawati's successor in December.
Akash's previous removal from successor position
At the time Akash was demoted, Mayawati said, "In the larger interest of the party and the movement, he is being divested of both these important responsibilities until he attains full maturity." Akash's father, Anand Kumar, will take over, and he will continue to carry out his responsibilities in the party as before, the BSP chief added. While Akash's removal was mostly attributed to his "immaturity," a party insider said Mayawati disapproved of the way Akash was addressing poll rallies.
Initial appointment and recent reinstatement of Akash Anand
In April, Akash, along with four others, were booked for violating the Model Code of Conduct for allegedly using objectionable language at a poll rally in Sitapur. "This BJP government is a bulldozer government and a government of traitors. Taliban runs such a government in Afghanistan," he had said. He has since maintained a low profile until days ago, when Mayawait named him a star campaigner of the party for the assembly bypolls in Uttarakhand and Punjab.
Possible reason behind Akash's reinstatement
According to the Deccan Herald, BSP sources indicated that the decision to reinstate Akash may have been prompted by the rise of Chandrashekhar Azad, the president of the Azad Samaj Party and a prominent Dalit leader. Chandrashekhar had won the Nagina Lok Sabha seat as an independent candidate, defeating the Bharatiya Janata Party's Om Kumar. The BSP came in fourth, with candidate Surendra Pal Singh receiving just 13,272 votes.
