Mayawati does flip-flop-flip before UP polls, gives nephew Ishan key role | Political Pulse News
4 min readLucknowSep 23, 2026 04:18 PM IST
First published on: Sep 23, 2026 at 04:18 PM IST
Days after announcing her “antim faisla (final decision)” that neither of her two nephews, Akash Anand and Ishan Anand, will engage in politics and hold any party position, BSP president Mayawati made another “U-turn” on Wednesday, naming Ishan as the party’s new national convener.
Mayawati made the announcement at a meeting of the BSP’s national office-bearers in Lucknow, where Ishan, wearing a blue party scarf, touched her aunt’s feet to seek her blessings, and got a seat in the front row with all the senior party office-bearers including his father Anand Kumar, the party’s national vice-president.
Addressing the meeting, Ishan, 25, expressed gratitude to Mayawati for appointing him the party national convener, assuring the leadership that he will execute his responsibilities with “honesty and dedication”. He also promised to follow the path shown by Mayawati.
The development comes barely five months before the high-stakes Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.
Ishan is a post-graduate in law (LLM). BSP sources said that before he was brought into the party, he used to manage the family-run hotels besides handling its pharma distribution business. He largely stayed away from politics till his elder brother Akash was active in the BSP.
Sources said the timing of Ishan’s elevation is significant as it comes at a time when his elder brother’s political space in the party has shrunk. Akash had earlier held the post of the BSP national convener, but was removed from all party responsibilities by Mayawati earlier this month.
After Akash’s removal, the BSP was left without a face who could be its generational bridge and connect with young voters. “It took over eight months for the party to groom Akash Anand as its young face in the past eight years. Now, Mayawati will have to groom Ishan and that will again take time. The situation is challenging for us now because all the parties are trying hard to woo Gen Z voters. But BSP is still trying to bring its own house in order,” remarked a BSP leader on Ishan’s appointment.
In a statement earlier this month, Mayawati had announced her “final decision” that neither of her two nephews will play a political role in her party. She had then also said Anand Kumar could seek the help of his only daughter, Kumari Deepika Anand, and, if required, entrust her with his party responsibilities in the future.
Days before that, she had appointed Ishan as the chief sector coordinator, a new post created just for him. But he was removed from the post within a week.
However, a few days ago, in another U-turn on the role of her family members in the party, Mayawati said her nephew Akash and niece Deepika will no longer be given any responsibility in the BSP. However, she said, Ishan will be given a “respectable role” in the organisation.
In a statement on X on September 20, Mayawati said she had reconsidered involving members of Anand Kumar’s family in the BSP and decided to keep Akash and his sister away from the party affairs. “Since his marriage, Akash Anand’s conduct and activities at every step have been such that just a few days ago, he had to be separated from the party once again,” she said.
On Ishan, Mayawati said he would now be the family member to be taken forward within the BSP. She added that her intention was to ensure that there was no repetition of the circumstances that had arisen around Akash.
Mayawati further said that if Akash or his sister were to engage in any serious activity against the party in future, they would be shown the way out. In such a situation, she said, no other member of Akash’s family would be given any responsibility in the BSP. Instead, she said, a loyal and dedicated worker from the Dalit community would be elevated.
