Who is Akash Anand, Mayawati’s political heir who has been cast out of BSP again?

Along with Akash’s removal, his father-in-law and senior BSP leader Ashok Siddharth announced his complete retirement from politics, a move Mayawati described as a "right step taken late". Mayawati also said Siddharth’s earlier actions had contributed to the difficulties faced by Akash and the BSP.

New Delhi: After years of changing responsibilities, political setbacks and disagreements over his role in the Bahujan Samaj Party, BSP supremo Mayawati has officially cut ties with her nephew and former designated political heir Akash Anand. She relieved him of all party responsibilities from September 10, 2026.

This comes just days after he was stripped of his position as BSP National Coordinator on September 3.

In a post published on the BSP's official X account, Mayawati said, “Just as Akash Anand was relieved of all important responsibilities of the senior post of national coordinator on September 3, 2026, he has now been completely freed from the party as well, effective today."

She added, “If Akash Anand wants to be independent of the party, he is free to do so. In such a situation, he has now been completely freed from the party.”

The announcement comes after another episode involving Anand's father-in-law and BSP leader Ashok Siddharth. Mayawati had asked Siddharth to leave politics as part of her efforts to protect his son-in-law's political future.

Siddharth announced his retirement from politics on Thursday. Addressing Mayawati, he wrote on X, “Every order from Behen Ji is final for me.”

The BSP chief described Siddharth's decision as a "right step" taken late. She said that if he had taken the decision earlier, the BSP, the Bahujan movement and Akash would not have faced the difficult situation that followed.

Siddharth has rejected allegations that he tried to mislead Akash or attempted to take control of the BSP. He has also said that he had not even met Akash during the past several months.

Akash has been in and out of the BSP

This is not the first time Mayawati has removed her nephew from the BSP. Akash was earlier expelled from the party, with the BSP supremo saying at the time that the decision was taken in the interest of the party and the movement.

He was later brought back and given responsibilities again.

He first became BSP national coordinator in 2019 after the Lok Sabha election. In 2023, Mayawati named him as her political successor, giving him a much larger role in the party's future.

His political career has since gone through several changes.

Ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the party president removed him from the post of national coordinator, saying he needed more political maturity. The decision came at a time when he had been making direct attacks on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

After the 2024 general elections, he returned to the BSP. In January, the party gave him national organisational and campaign responsibilities and relieved him of state-level duties.

This phase was short-lived. From 2025, differences between Mayawati and Akash became more visible, with the role of his father-in-law (Siddharth) time and again becoming part of the dispute.

Akash was also given responsibility for the BSP's campaign in the Delhi Assembly election. The party failed to win a seat and its vote share fell.

Who is Akash Anand?

He is the son of Anand Kumar, Mayawati's youngest brother. He joined BSP activities after returning from London in 2017. He accompanied Mayawati to Saharanpur in May that year after clashes between Thakurs and Dalits in the district.

Akash has also had a business background. A LinkedIn profile carrying his name and photograph describes him as the founder and managing director of DJT Corporation and Investments.

It says he founded the company in April 2016. It states that he studied for a BBA at the University of Plymouth in the United Kingdom from 2013 to 2016. He also studied at Pathways World School in Gurgaon.

The profile describes him as coming from a first-generation business family. “Akash was born into a first-generation business family from a humble background. He always dreamed of doing something bigger. His personal experiences led him to become an entrepreneur and build his business from scratch,” it says.

It further says, “At present, Akash oversees four companies in his group and handles business operations related to retail, finance and insurance.”

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