By Pradeep Kapoor
LUCKNOW: Is BJP behind BSP supremo Mayawati’s decision to bring back her nephew Akash Anand as national coordinator and her successor after the worst ever performance of the party in 2024 Lok Sabha polls? Mayawati removed Akash Anand from the post of national coordinator and her successor on May 7 when he launched scathing attack on BJP at an election meeting at Sitapur.
Unnerved by the attack on BJP, Mayawati immediately removed her nephew Akash Anand from both the posts saying that he required time to gain maturity. He was also stopped from addressing party meetings and take part in the campaign.
The political analysts and opposition leaders were surprised when after 57 days only Mayawati brought back Akash Anand and gave him both the important positions. It would be worth mentioning here that BSP helped BJP win at least 16 Lok Sabha seats out of total 33 won by the party in Uttar Pradesh in recently concluded Lok Sabha polls.
During campaign, opposition leaders charged Mayawati and her party of helping BJP by fielding large number of muslim candidates. The manner in which INDIA bloc won 43 seats in Lok Sabha elections makes it very much clear that the combination would put up serious challenge to BJP during 2027 assembly polls.
In order to prevent INDIA bloc coming to power in 2027 in UP, BJP would require B team BSP powerful enough to prevent dalits going towards Congress and Samajwadi Party in the name of saving the Constitution. Moreover with Akash Anand as new leader, BJP would also like to prevent young dalit leaders to shift to Samajwadi Party or Congress Party.
During recently concluded Lok Sabha polls, BSP was reduced to only 9.3 per cent votes and nil seats which was the worst performance since 1984 when the Party was founded by Dalit maestro Kansi Ram. There have been several experiments in BSP and prominent leaders who had been associated with Kansi Ram had to leave the party one after another. BSP national president Mayawati appears to be under tremendous pressure to keep away from INDIA bloc and maintain independent status which helps BJP politically.
Significantly Mayawati blamed muslim community for the poor performance in these elections. Mayawati had given tickets to 19 Muslims who were placed third in their constituencies. Shocked by the poor response from muslim voters, Mayawati announced she would be very careful in giving tickets to minority community candidates in future elections.
How Akash Anand is able to strengthen BSP in future and come up to the expectation of Mayawati and help BJP in UP in particular and the country in general only time will tell. The real test is not far when by-elections are due for 10 assembly seats in UP for the seats vacated by those MLAs who got elected to Lok Sabha. (IPA Service)
