Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) President Mayawati on Sunday reinstated her nephew Akash Anand as her successor and the party’s national coordinator, reversing her earlier decision to relieve him of the post during the Lok Sabha elections.
In the middle of the Lok Sabha elections on May 7, she had termed Akash Anand immature and relieved him of the party post.
Following a national-level meeting at the BSP state office on Sunday, the party announced that Akash Anand would resume his former responsibilities.
“BSP’s national president Mayawati has once again given Akash Anand a chance to work in the party with full maturity. He will continue to hold all his posts in the party as before.
“That is, he will remain Mayawati’s only successor along with being the party’s national coordinator,” the statement read.
Mayawati, a former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, expressed optimism that Akash Anand would evolve into as a “mature” leader.
“I am hopeful about him (Akash Anand) that now he will definitely emerge as a fully mature leader at every level in the interest of his party and movement. The people of the party will also now encourage him by giving him more respect and honour than before. So that now he can live up to all my expectations in the future,” she said in a statement.
Last December, Mayawati had initially declared Akash Anand as her successor but withdrew the decision during the Lok Sabha elections citing his need to attain full maturity.
Akash Anand was also involved in a case related to alleged violation of the Model Code of Conduct during an election rally in Sitapur.
In the recently concluded elections, BSP, contesting independently, failed to secure any of the 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh, while emerging Dalit leader Chandrashekhar Azad won the Nagina (reserved) seat in Bijnor district.