LUCKNOW:
Akash Anand
,
BSP
supremo
Mayawati
‘s nephew who was named her successor Sunday, holds an MBA from London and is the son of her brother
Anand Kumar
, who has been working closely with her as the party’s vice president.
While Mayawati will continue as the party chief for the time being, this marks the first time she has officially named a successor.
She emphasised at the meeting that Akash would work as any other party worker, contributing to the mission and movement of BSP.
“Behenji (Mayawati) said at the meeting that ‘like Kanshi Ram-ji made me his successor and I brought the party to where it is today, I am declaring Akash Anand as my successor, and he will take the party forward’,” said BSP’s lone MLA in UP, Uma Shankar Singh, quoting the party chief.
The move is seen as an attempt to inject youthful energy into the party, particularly in response to the growing influence of Azad Samaj Party chief Chandra Shekhar Azad among the Dalit electorate – the core constituency of BSP. Political analysts believe that this decision aims to counter the perception of an aging party leadership, appealing to the community’s youth.
The long-term impact of this decision on BSP’s political fortune is yet to be seen, but it marks a significant development in the party’s leadership dynamics. Mayawati made it clear that no other family member of Akash would hold a position in the party organisation, underlining her commitment to organisational integrity. However, the potential impact on the organisational responsibilities of Akash’s father Anand Kumar and his father-in-law Ashok Siddharth, the former party MP, remains uncertain.
Mayawati’s announcement comes after Akash played a prominent role in overseeing recent assembly elections in states like Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
Alliances have always damaged BSP’s electoral prospects, says Mayawati
BSP national president Mayawati on Sunday said that electoral alliances damage the party more than bringing any benefits to it. Speaking at a meeting of the party in Lucknow,Mayawati said while the votes of BSP get transferred to other parties in the alliance, it is hardly the other way round. “Since other parties have an ideology different from BSP’s stand of ‘sarvajan hitay, sarvajan sukhay (welfare of all, happiness for all)’, it leads to negativity in alliance rather than a positive feeling.
