Mayawati, who 'hates' dynasty-politics, gives party positions to brother, nephew
BSP Chief Mayawati has always been a staunch critic of dynasty politics, but apparently she has forgotten all the things she "taught" others. On Saturday, she gave two key positions to her brother Anand Kumar and nephew Akash Anand (who is widely seen as her political heir). While Kumar was made BSP's national vice president, Akash was given the post of national coordinator.
Earlier too, Mayawati gave senior position to her brother
In 2017, Mayawati had made her brother the number 2 in the party. Defending her decision, she said he would not be "made" MP, MLA, minister or chief minister in the future. However, after facing ire over nepotism, Kumar was dropped from the important post. Two years later, he was reinstated and this confirms that Mayawati isn't paying attention to critics anymore.
Akash was made the national coordinator of BSP
On the other hand, 24-year-old Akash was made one of the two national coordinators of the party. In the run-up for Lok Sabha elections, Akash emerged as a prominent face. He had also campaigned for his aunt during 2017 assembly polls. Moreover, when Mayawati stitched an unlikely alliance with Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav, Akash was spotted beside her.
Ironically, Mayawati "promised" she won't bring family members to politics
In March, an unnamed BSP leader told The Telegraph that Mayawati "promised" she won't bring her family members into politics. "She told us at meeting two months ago that Akash is an MBA from a private institute in London and was looking after her Twitter account. She told us not to talk about him in public," the leader said. Well, in politics promises really don't mean anything.
Meanwhile, turncoat Danish Ali was made leader in Lok Sabha
At the party meeting in Lucknow, it was also announced that Danish Ali will lead BSP in Lok Sabha. Ali, who was a close aide of JD(S) leader and Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, switched camps before general elections. He won from Amroha.
Mayawati reshuffled party after rout in general elections
The changes in the party come exactly a month after BSP faced a humiliating defeat in Lok Sabha polls. Despite allying with its former foe SP, BSP failed to stop Prime Minister Narendra Modi's juggernaut. But the alliance somewhat worked for Mayawati as her party won 10 seats, after drawing a blank in 2014 elections. Meanwhile, BJP won 62 out of 80 UP seats.