Ahead of 2024, BSP chief Mayawati names her nephew, Akash Anand, as her successor

The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati on Sunday named her nephew Akash Anand as her successor. "BSP chief Mayawati has announced Akash Anand (Mayawati's nephew) as her successor," said BSP's Udayveer Singh. He said Anand will work in states where the party is weak. 

The crucial announcement comes just months before the next general election to be held in April-May. Akash is the son of Mayawati's younger brother, Anand Kumar, who is considered next to the former chief minister in the BSP. Anand, 31, joined the BSP in 2016 and was listed as one of the star campaigners for his party during the Lok Sabha elections in 2019.

Anand's visibility in the party circle, coupled with his padayatra in Rajasthan's Alwar in 2022, gained momentum in the BSP's strategy ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. He participated in a 13-km "Swabhiman Sankalp Yatra" in Alwar on the birth anniversary of Dr BR Ambedkar. He was also visible in BSP's poll campaigning in Rajasthan in 2018 where BSP had secured six seats. 

(With inputs from Abhishek Mishra)