Why Mayawati’s nephew Akash Anand looks fit for BSP’s CM face in 2027 UP elections

New Delhi, Oct 1 (IANS) Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati, a political heavyweight and a formidable player in Uttar Pradesh politics till a decade ago, is facing an existential crisis on the back of the party's worst-ever performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and also consistent decline in the Hindi heartland. 

Today, the Dalit-centric party faces an uphill task of not just regaining its lost clout and foothold in Uttar Pradesh but also saving itself from the ignominy of losing its national party status. 

The party which once commanded 15-20 per cent vote share in Uttar Pradesh saw a drastic drop of about 10 per cent in both 2024 LS polls and 2022 Assembly elections. Today, the party doesn’t have a single MP in Lok Sabha and has a lone MLA in the UP Assembly.

As the BSP supremo looks to revive the party's sagging fortunes, the meteoric rise of her nephew Akash Anand, since his political debut in 2017 holds much significance. Barring a few setbacks including his sacking as national coordinator during the 2024 General Elections, he has carved himself a place in the party as Mayawati’s ‘sole’ political heir. 

Besides being the nephew of the BSP chief, the 29-year-old leader is seen by the people and the political watchers as the frontrunner for the party’s Chief Ministerial candidate in the 2027 UP Assembly polls.

Many recent developments show his rising stature in the party and also earning the de-facto successor tag of Mayawati, especially at a time when the party battles against the odds and strives for survival. Akash Anand was sacked in May and reinstated as BSP national coordinator in June this year, with the BSP supremo also urging party leaders to ‘give him more respect than earlier’.

His fiery and vitriolic campaign against the ruling party in 2024 was seen as the reason behind his ‘momentary’ shunting but today, he is back at the helm as the party’s most bankable and vocal leader and star campaigner during elections, after Mayawati. He has been spearheading the party’s campaign, countering the political rivals and also occupying enough media space with his exploits.

Party insiders say that Akash Anand’s close coordination with senior leaders including Kanshi Ram’s associates as well as young Turks alike, has helped him garner goodwill within the party. He has infused fresh energy into the party’s rank and cadre and his ‘positive politics’ on issues of Dalits and marginalised classes has only gone to strike the right chord with the masses.

As the BSP faces a tough challenge from the Bhim Army and its chief Chandrashekhar Azad in seizing the Dalit vote bank nationwide, the vigour and vitality of young Akash Anand becomes all the more important. Chandrashekhar Azad’s rising clout in Uttar Pradesh, as he won the Nagina Lok Sabha seat in 2024 polls, will only call for greater consolidation of BSP’s support base under Akash Anand.

The signals emanating from BSP brass also shed light on Anand’s towering stature within the party.

In Uttarakhand Assembly by-polls, Akash Anand was one of the party’s star campaigners. For the upcoming UP by-polls, slated towards the end of the year, the party has expressed its willingness to contest on all 10 seats. This assumes importance in light of the fact that the BSP has, conventionally never given weightage to by-elections, to date.

In the ongoing Haryana Assembly elections, Mayawati’s nephew is leading from the front. He has hit the hustings and is holding a series of poll rallies to enthuse the party workers. He is personally meeting and greeting party leaders and workers and seeking to garner a moderate share of votes by striking a deal with the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), led by former Haryana Deputy CM Dushyant Chautala.

On the ground, he is working to increase the appeal of BSP leaders for better resonance with the voters. Given that he commands the confidence and trust of the BSP supremo, he also has the wherewithal to bring out desired changes in the party.

Besides elections, previous instances at the party organisation level also hinted at his likely bigger role soon.

Having debuted in politics in 2017, Akash Anand has often accompanied Mayawati on most important occasions. He shared the stage with Mayawati in a 2019 joint press conference, which she addressed with bête noire SP president Akhilesh Yadav to announce their pre-poll alliance for the 2019 LS polls. 

He was featured among the party’s star campaigners along with Mayawati and party general secretary Satish Chandra Mishra in that election. In the past few years, his involvement in deliberating the party's strategy has only increased.

Moreover, the exit of the party’s stalwarts including Swamy Prasad Maurya and Naseemuddin Siddiqui in subsequent years only worked to his advantage.

Akash Anand has been shaping the BSP’s narrative and discourse even as the party rolls up its sleeves for a better show and numbers in upcoming Assembly elections. In the recently held LS polls, the party registered an incremental vote share of 1 per cent in Madhya Pradesh, which boosted its morale and harmed Congress electoral outcome in the state.

Political watchers don’t rule out Anand’s elevation and projection as the party’s Chief Ministerial candidate in the next UP Assembly elections. Obviously, this will require a green signal from the party supremo.

BSP leaders see the Chandra Shekhar factor as ‘momentary’ and claim that Mayawati is too big a political figure to get swayed away by this. They believe that the party has a vast base of leaders who could catapult its fortunes again. Akash Akand, emerging as a key ‘future leader’ is expected to bind the BSP cadres together and give a direct challenge to rivals including the BJP and Samajwadi Party (SP).

Anand may be lacking in stature, oratory skills, political acumen and skills as that of BSP supremo but he is ready to take on the mantle. His sacking and return to the helm of the party in just two months is a testament to his emergence as an indispensable figure in the party.