Lucknow: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Sunday night dropped broad hints that she may appoint her younger nephew, Ishan Anand, as in charge of Sector-1 and Sector-2 in the party organisation, according to sources aware of the meeting. No official announcement has been made so far.The late-night meeting of the party’s national-level office-bearers was held at Mayawati’s residence. Sector-1 and Sector-2 are key organisational units under which all state units—except Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand—are grouped. The UP and Uttarakhand units remain under the direct supervision of the party chief.If Ishan is assigned the role, it would mark his first formal responsibility within the BSP structure. The 27-year-old is a graduate in legal studies from the University of Westminster in the UK.His first public appearance on the party stage took place on Jan 15, 2025, during Mayawati’s birthday event.He was also present the next day at a state-level meeting of the BSP’s UP unit, which was widely seen as a signal of his growing involvement in organisational work ahead of the 2027 assembly elections.The possible elevation has also fuelled speculation about the standing of his elder brother, Akash Anand, who was recently demoted from national convener to an ordinary party worker. While there is no stated link between the two developments, party watchers say the timing has intensified discussions about internal succession planning.The responsibilities of a sector in charge mirror the kind of organisational assignment Akash Anand handled earlier in his career as national coordinator. Akash was appointed national coordinator in May 2019 and later promoted to chief national coordinator and national convener.At the party’s all-India meeting on Sept 3, Mayawati said she had “allowed” Akash to work in the party but that giving him a larger responsibility would not be appropriate as he needed to “grow and become mature.”Both Akash and Ishan attended that meeting. Since then, Akash has twice changed his social media profile description, first listing himself as a “BSP worker” and later as a “BSP supporter.”
