No retweet, no job: Mayawati shuts BSP door on nephew Akash Anand for not reposting

BSP chief Mayawati linked nephew Akash Anand's reinstatement to his father-in-law and former MP Ashok Siddharth announcing his sanyas. Though Siddharth announced his political retirement, Mayawati said Akash Anand wouldn't be given any party role. Reason? The nephew didn't retweet Mayawati's post on X.

In Short

• Mayawati cites Akash's missing repost, says family mattered more to him than BSP
• Although Akash's father-in-law took sanyas, the BSP chief says move came too late
• Akash was reinstated only recently, before being expelled from the BSP once again

Inspector Bachcha Yadav (played by Mukesh Tiwari) in Prakash Jha's 2003 film Gangaajal found himself sloshed, perplexed and anguished over whether he was "in" or "out" of the police force after SP Amit Kumar (played by Ajay Devgn) had suspended him. For a while, Mayawati's nephew Akash Anand appeared trapped in a similar in-or-out predicament. But the suspense of statements on Thursday now shows that the BSP's door might have been shut on the 31-year-old. At least, for now.

On September 3, BSP chief Mayawati removed her nephew Akash Anand as national coordinator but allowed him to remain an ordinary party worker. On September 9, she indicated that his responsibilities could be restored if his father-in-law, former Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Siddharth, took complete sanyas (retirement) from politics. Akash's father-in-law Siddharth complied a day later on Thursday (September 10) morning. But, hours later, Mayawati declared that Akash was "fully relieved from the party."

But why didn't Mayawati rescind Akash Anand's suspension? The BSP chief makes that clear. Because he didn't share his aunt's post on X asking his father-in-law to retire from politics.

"Akash Anand did not even repost the BSP chief's post on X, though it was meant for his own good, whereas earlier he would repost her posts to demonstrate his loyalty," said Mayawati in her detailed post on X.

Mayawati had already expelled former MLA and MLC Siddharth from the BSP on August 2, accusing him of indiscipline, taking an anti-party position and failing to discharge his responsibilities. For Mayawati, discipline and loyalty have always been paramount. She expected Akash Anand to show that by reposting her post. So what if it was against his father-in-law?

Akash, meanwhile, had only recently been relaunched for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh election after he was expelled from the BSP in March 2025, and was reinstated after an apology. Following his recent relaunch, Akash addressed party workers in Hathras on August 10 and Jewar on August 25, only to be removed from his post again on September 3. No wonder Akash might have identified with Bachcha Yadav's confusion. But, now, it seems, it's the end of the road for Akash Anand, and for not retweeting aunt Mayawati's X post.

Mayawati had warned that only Ashok Siddharth's sanyas from politics could allow Akash to "work freely" in the BSP. Siddharth took sanyas as asked, but Mayawati called it "too late" and expelled Akash anyway.

Thirty-one-year-old Akash is Mayawati's nephew, who had been dubbed the supremo's "successor", and was widely projected as its young national face. Siddharth, his father-in-law, is a long-time BSP politician who has served in both the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council and the Rajya Sabha. Now, both are out of the picture at a crucial juncture.

The churn in the BSP, and its state of affairs, is of significance and is far beyond a family quarrel. The party won just one of Uttar Pradesh's 403 Assembly seats in 2022 and drew a blank in the state's 80 Lok Sabha constituencies in 2024, when its vote share fell to 9.39%. In western Uttar Pradesh, Chandrashekhar Azad has emerged as a competing young Dalit face. With the 2027 Assembly election approaching, Azad is very well breathing down the BSP's neck.

ASHOK SIDDHARTH TAKES SANYAS AFTER MAYAWATI'S WARNING

In his September 10 post on X, addressed to Mayawati, Siddharth said her command was greater than everything else, including his relationships and family. Calling her his "political guru” and elder sister, he credited her with taking an ordinary party worker like him to the Legislative Council and Rajya Sabha.

Siddharth denied accusations that he was trying to capture the BSP or mislead Akash. He said he had not met Akash for several months, except on a few occasions when their political programmes overlapped, and alleged that rivals within the party had conspired against him.

He also asked Mayawati not to link his sanyas with Akash's political return. "Akash Anand Ji is your nephew before he is my son-in-law," Siddharth wrote on X, adding that only Mayawati could decide whether Akash should be given responsibilities again.

Siddharth nevertheless announced that he was renouncing "political and social life right at this moment". He said taking sanyas was a small sacrifice and added that even giving his life for Mayawati would be a matter of pride. The post ended with a note saying, "Apologies for the delay."

Mayawati might have perceived Akash Anand's failure to repost her tweet as a sign that his loyalty and affection for his father-in-law outweighed his commitment to the party.

MAYAWATI SAYS TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE OVER AKASH ANAND'S FATHER-IN-LAW'S RETIREMENT

Mayawati acknowledged Siddharth's retirement as a correct step on Thursday morning, but invoked the proverb "Better late than never" to underline that it had come too late.

In a long detailed post on X, Mayawati said that had Siddharth acted earlier, the BSP, the Bahujan movement and Akash would not have repeatedly faced adverse circumstances. She alleged that Siddharth's failure to announce sanyas immediately on September 9 proved that the "flaw and ambition" in his intentions remained intact.

Mayawati also criticised Akash for not reposting her September 9 message, even though it had opened a route for his return to an active position. She said Akash had earlier reposted her messages to demonstrate his loyalty, but his silence on the BSP chief's September 9 post showed greater attachment to his father-in-law than to his own career, the BSP and the Bahujan movement.

She then asked how a "double mind" Akash could serve the party and announced that he had been "fully relieved from the party".

Akash Anand's time in the BSP has seen repeated promotions, demotions, removals and returns since he became a national coordinator in 2019. Mayawati named him her political successor in December 2023, then, removed him from both roles on May 2024. But she again restored him on June 23, only to strip him of his posts on March 2, 2025, and expel him the next day. But Mayawati restored Akash Anand as the BSP's national coordinator and her political successor in June 2024, only to strip him of both positions in March 2025, and expel him from the party the following day.

Akash Anand's exit now puts the spotlight on his younger brother, Ishan Anand, who was appointed chief sector in-charge days earlier and tasked with overseeing BSP work outside Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. His elevation does not formally make him Akash's replacement, but it adds a fresh twist to the question of succession as Mayawati prepares the struggling BSP for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh election. For Akash, it could be a case of how one missed repost cost him his place in the BSP.

- Ends