Mayawati's big announcement: Nephew Akash Anand to be her successor in Bahujan Samaj Party
Mayawati officially appointed nephew Akash Anand as her successor in the BSP. Mayawati will continue to monitor Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
Mayawati named her nephew, Akash Anand, as her successor in the Bahujan Samaj Party at a crucial party meeting in Lucknow on Sunday, ahead the Lok Sabha elections. Akash Anand will manage the party affairs in the states where the organisation is weak while Mayawati will handle the working of the party in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
BSP chief Mayawati has announced Akash Anand (Mayawati's nephew) as her successor...," party leader Udayveer Singh told news agency ANI.
The announcement was made by Mayawati during a meeting of BSP workers at the party's state office in Lucknow. According to the official statement on Saturday, the party would analyse its performance in the recently concluded assembly polls in three states, including Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh.
Meanwhile, deliberations were made on selecting candidates for the Lok Sabha assembly election in 2024. The BJP created a record in Madhya Pradesh and came back to power after having ruled the state for 18 of the past 20 years. This is an apparent indication of the party's organisational hold in the state as well as the popularity of its schemes and leadership.
Who is Akash Anand, Mayawati's nephew?
The name of Akash Anand, who has been long anticipated to be Mayawaiti's successor, figured the second place in the list of BSP’s star campaigners for the Himachal Pradesh assembly election.
Akash Anand has also been entrusted with the task of gearing up the party cadre for the assembly election and restructuring the party organisation in Gujarat, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.
Akash was made national coordinator of the BSP in 2019 when Mayawati rejigged the party organisation after breaking alliance with the Samajwadi Party.
The BSP had worked to emerge as the third alternative in Himachal Pradesh. Mayawati and national coordinator Akash Anand addressed a series of the party rallies in Himachal Pradesh.
BSP suspends its MP Danish Ali
The development comes a day after the BJP suspended its Lok Sabha member Danish Ali for "anti-party" activities, with the Amroha MP denying the charge and asserting that he only raised his voice against the BJP-led government's "anti-people" policies.
In a brief statement, the party's Uttar Pradesh unit said Ali has been suspended for anti-party activities.
The move came a day after Ali walked out of Lok Sabha proceedings along with other opposition members to protest against the government's motion to expel TMC member Mahua Moitra for "unethical conduct". Other BSP members remained seated in the House.
Ali has been actively joining opposition ranks in attacking the BJP and its policies even though the Mayawati-led BSP has maintained a distance from the ruling alliance as well as the opposition.
(With inputs from agencies)