Tezzbuzz Desk – Amidst the preparations for the 2027 assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, the political direction of Bahujan Samaj Party is once again in the news. After removing her nephew Akash Anand from all responsibilities, party chief Mayawati has now given an important role in the organization to her younger brother Ishan Anand. This change has once again raised questions about Mayawati's political successor.
BSP seems to be weakening in the politics of Uttar Pradesh for a long time. The party which formed the government with absolute majority in 2007 continued losing its support base in the elections. BSP could not win even a single seat in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. At the same time, after the death of the MLA of the only seat won in the 2022 assembly elections, there is no representative of the party left in the assembly.
Attitude changed several times regarding Akash Anand
Mayawati made Akash Anand the National Coordinator in June 2019. He was declared his political successor in December 2023 and was put forward as a young face in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. However, after the controversy over his speech given at a meeting in Sitapur, in May 2024, Mayawati removed him from the responsibilities, calling him immature. After some time, Akash also returned to the party.
In March 2025, once again the distance between Akash and Mayawati increased. After his father-in-law Ashok Siddharth was expelled from the party, Akash was also removed from the post of National Coordinator. However, after about a month, he again got a place in the party and his responsibility was increased and he was also given the role of Chief along with National Coordinator. In August 2025, he was made the National Convener.
But on September 3, Mayawati once again relieved Akash Anand of all responsibilities and this time promoted his younger brother Ishaan Anand.
Ishan Anand has the responsibility of 15 states
In comparison to Akash, this time the change is being considered important because Mayawati has given big responsibility in the organization to his younger brother Ishaan Anand in his place. 27-year-old Ishaan has also studied in England and is a graduate in Legal Studies.
Ishaan has been made the chief sector in-charge and has been given the responsibility of 15 states. However, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand have been kept out of their scope. The responsibility of reviewing his activities and work will rest with his father and BSP national vice president Anand Kumar.
Now the question is whether Ishaan will be able to maintain Mayawati's trust for a long time? Will Akash return in the future or will both the brothers together support their aunt in the party? At present no one has the answer to these questions except Mayawati.
BSP faces challenge to save Dalit vote bank
The biggest strength of BSP has been its Dalit vote bank. The party's journey, which started with just 9.90 percent votes and two Lok Sabha seats in 1989, reached 27.42 percent votes and 20 seats by 2009. But in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the party's vote share dropped to 9.15 percent and it did not get a single seat.
In the same election, Chandrashekhar Azad of Azad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) registered a big victory from Nagina seat. BSP got only 13,212 votes in Nagina. Despite contesting on 79 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh, BSP could not reach second position on any seat. The party got less than 50 thousand votes on 15 seats.
In 2007, BSP formed a government with full majority in Uttar Pradesh by combining Dalit votes with the support of Brahmins, Muslims and backward classes. But the party was not successful in repeating that social equation after this.
Uttar Pradesh has been the mainstay of Mayawati's politics, but continuous election results have weakened the party's position. With the electoral defeat, distance from the organization and workers has also become a big challenge for the BSP.
Benefited from the alliance, yet Mayawati broke the alliance
Mayawati has often argued about coalition politics that the ally party gets the votes of BSP, but the votes of the ally do not go to the account of BSP. However, the 2019 Lok Sabha elections present a different picture from this claim.
In 2019, SP and BSP contested the Lok Sabha elections together. In this alliance, BSP won 10 seats in Uttar Pradesh, while SP got five seats. Despite this, Mayawati later ended the alliance. After this, BSP contested the 2022 assembly elections alone and the party was reduced to just one seat. His account was also not opened in the Lok Sabha elections in 2024.
Kanshi Ram's legacy and challenge of the organization
BSP had inherited Kanshi Ram's strong cadre-based politics. But with time many old and recognizable faces of the party separated from it. Mayawati's working style and rapid changes in the organization are also counted among the reasons for the weakening position of the party.
Apart from big rallies at the time of elections, Mayawati's political activism appears to be limited. Their reach to workers and common people has also reduced compared to before. Decisions to remove or expel any leader from the post at any time in the party have also created a situation of instability in the organization.
After the strengthening of BJP, another challenge has arisen before BSP. Opposition parties have many times accused him of helping the BJP and have even called him the 'B team' of the BJP. However, BSP has been rejecting these allegations.
Even among Muslim votes, SP has strengthened the perception against BSP that it is not an effective alternative against BJP. This has also affected the party's traditional vote bank.
At such a time, the 2027 assembly elections are being considered very important for Mayawati and BSP. The party faces not only the challenge of regaining its lost support base, but also the question of strengthening the organization and setting a clear direction for its political future.