Lucknow: Bahujan Samaj Party president Mayawati on Wednesday appointed Ishan Anand as the party’s new national coordinator, announcing the change at an all-India meeting of the party held in Lucknow.Ishan Anand is Mayawati’s younger nephew. The position had earlier been held by his elder brother, Akash Anand, who was relieved of party responsibilities on Sept 10. Ishan attended the meeting along with his father, Anand Kumar, the BSP’s vice president.At the meeting, Ishan and Anand Kumar were seated with other party leaders and office-bearers. This arrangement contrasted with past meetings in which Akash Anand, during his tenure in key organisational roles, often sat separately with a small group of senior office-bearers.Alongside the appointment, Mayawati underlined that the party opposed “parivarvaad” or nepotism. Referring to BSP founder Kanshi Ram, she said strict principles had been laid down against promoting nepotism within the organisation, and that Kanshi Ram had regarded the Bahujan Samaj as his only family. Mayawati said family members could work in the organisation if they wished, but not for personal benefits.After the announcement, Ishan Anand thanked Mayawati and said he would follow the path shown by “Behenji,” a term widely used within the party to refer to her.Ishan Anand has completed LLM. His first public appearance on the party stage was on Jan 15, 2025, during Mayawati’s birthday event. He also attended a meeting of the BSP’s Uttar Pradesh unit the following day, developments that were seen as an indication of his growing involvement in the party as it prepares for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.His rise within the organisation accelerated after Akash Anand’s demotion. At the party’s previous all-India meeting on Sept 3, Mayawati removed Akash as national convener and said he would work as an ordinary party worker. Soon after, Ishan was made chief central coordinator.On Sept 10, Mayawati removed Akash from the party amid a dispute involving Ashok Siddharth, Akash’s father-in-law. Two days later, she posted on X that neither Akash nor Ishan, nor their children in future, would get posts in the party, while also indicating preference for her niece, Deepika. On Sept 20, she brought Ishan back and said he would be given a “respectable” responsibility, which was formalised with Wednesday’s appointment.