Mayawati removes nephew Akash Anand as national coordinator of Bahujan Samaj Party

Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati on Sunday removed her nephew Akash Anand as the national coordinator of the party and replaced him with his father Anand Kumar and Rajya Sabha MP Ramji Gautam.

This is the second time that Anand has been removed from the post. He was first removed as the party’s national coordinator and Mayawati’s political successor “until he attains maturity” on May 7.

After a party meeting on Sunday, Mayawati said that she would not announce her successor till her “last breath” and continue to handle party affairs.

She claimed that Anand’s connection to expelled Bahujan Samaj Party leader Ashok Siddharth was the reason for his expulsion the second time. Siddharth’s daughter is married to Anand.

“You are aware that Siddharth’s daughter is married to him,” the Bahujan Samaj Party chief stated after the meeting. “We will have to watch how much influence Siddharth will exert on his daughter as well as Akash. In such a situation Akash has been removed from all party responsibilities.”

She added that Siddharth was “completely responsible” for Anand’s removal from the post and had damaged the party while “ruining his son-in-law’s career”.

Siddharth, along with the Bahujan Samaj Party’s central-state coordinator Nitin Singh, was expelled on February 12 for alleged factionalism and indulging in “anti-party activities”, The Indian...

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