BSP Looking For A Complete Facelift? Party Chief Mayawati Appoints Nephew Akash Anand As National Coordinator

After a crushing defeat in the 2022 UP Assembly elections, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Kumari Mayawati, on Sunday (27 March), held a review meeting and announced major organisational changes in the party. The BSP supremo has named her nephew Akash Anand as the national coordinator of the party.

The BSP has also named Guddu Jamali as its candidate for the Azamgarh parliamentary by-election. Not only this, the BSP has dissolved all its organisational units and removed all office-bearers, barring the state presidents and legislative assembly incharges.

Key Organisational Changes In First Review Meeting After Assembly Election Results

The BSP, which once single-handedly secured power in UP, was reduced to just one seat in the 2022 assembly polls. In the last decade, the party has seen its worst with many veteran leaders defecting to other parties, rapidly diminishing vote share, and with its core voter base — the Dalits — also beginning to change sides.

In the review meeting, Mayawati is reported to have said, “This is not the time to get discouraged, but to fight unitedly. In order to keep the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) out of power, the Muslims supported the Samajwadi Party (SP), but they failed. Now even the Muslims have understood that only the BSP can defeat the BJP. Thus, instead of leaving the Muslims alone, now we have to take them along.”

In view of this, the BSP has declared Guddu Jamali as its candidate for the by-elections in the Azamgarh parliamentary seat. The seat has been vacated after Azamgarh MP and SP chief Akhilesh Yadav resigned from the Lok Sabha. Interestingly, Guddu Jamali had earlier defected from the BSP to the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), but has now been taken back.

The BSP chief, by entrusting such a responsibility to her nephew Akash Anand, seems to have made it clear that the youth leadership of the party is now ready to take over the reins of the BSP. Munkad Ali, Rajkumar Gautam and Dr Vijay Pratap — all three appointed as new coordinators — have been asked to report directly to Akash Anand.

In addition, a report has been sought from the senior party officials about the reasons for the unprecedented failure in the state assembly elections, reports Amar Ujala.

BSP Looking For A Complete Facelift

“Now the party has nothing to lose. From here on, whatever happens now will be good for the party and for those who believe in Behenji (Mayawati). For the first time in 38 years, preparations have begun to give a complete facelift to the party,” a senior party leader who attended the meeting is reported to have said.

Reports on the meeting implied that while Mayawati will work on creating synergy between the senior and youth leaders, Akash Anand has been asked to resolve intra-party disputes and address concerns of the party cadre.

The BSP is reportedly also determined to build a more visible and active social media presence, with its youth brigade being given command to counter the anti-BSP narratives. A separate section of students, employees, and lawyers will also be formed.

The party has decided to conduct surveys in UP, Punjab and Uttarakhand. The surveys are aimed at consolidating the BSP’s, now scattered, core voter base. The party workers and leaders have been asked to corner the ruling party by organising protests and demonstrations on the roads.

Reportedly, meetings will be held every month at the district level, and in every two months at the zonal and divisional level. Its report will be submitted directly to the National Coordinator Akash Anand, who along with the BSP chief Mayawati, will review all districts and zones every three to five months.