Mayawati

Mayawati announces return of Akash Anand to BSP minutes after he apologised

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati has extended an olive branch to her nephew Akash Anand, offering him another chance to serve the party just hours after he issued a heartfelt public apology

Mayawati's niece alleges dowry harassment; husband among 7 booked

In a case filed by BSP chief Mayawati's niece, an FIR was registered against Hapur Municipal Council Chairperson and six of her family members on charges of domestic violence, dowry harassment and sexual harassment on Thursday following a court directive, police said on Thursday. The woman married Vishal, son of Hapur Municipal Council Chairperson Pushpa Devi on November 9, 2023, said Rajeev Sharma, an advocate representing the complainant. "Since the marriage, the accused family allegedly used their political clout to demand a party ticket, Rs 50 lakh in cash and a flat as dowry," Sharma said. The complainant has further alleged that her husband used steroids for bodybuilding, which rendered him medically unfit for conjugal life. Frequent arguments followed, and on February 17, 2025, her father-in-law and brother-in-law allegedly attempted to sexually assault her, she said. After this, she returned to her parental home, the lawyer said. Despite lodging a complaint with the police

BSP churn likely to create vacuum in Uttar Pradesh's Dalit politics

Analysts predict bleak future unless the party reinvents itself and sheds its perceived BJP ties. Radhika Ramaseshan writes

Political power key to 'achche din' for Dalits, says BSP chief Mayawati

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Tuesday said only political power can bring "good days" for the Dalits and Bahujans. "Winning political power is the only way to bring 'achche din' for Bahujans," the party supremo said at a state-level special meeting of BSP's OBC officials. Mayawati said that the Bahujan community, particularly OBCs, has been severely affected by caste-based and narrow-minded politics. She claimed that, like Dalits, OBCs have been deprived of their Constitutional reservation benefits due to new policies that have rendered quota ineffective. Mayawati urged for a renewed and intensified campaign to unite all sections and secure political power to end social discrimination. "To free themselves from humiliation, all sections of the Bahujan community must unite and strengthen their political power. We must start a new and aggressive campaign at the village level to expose the anti-Dalit and anti-OBC agendas of Congress, BJP, and SP," she said. She added, .

Mayawati kicks out nephew from party: What next in BSP's succession cycle?

BSP supremo Mayawati's decision to not name her political heir further clouds the future of the party, which has been struggling to regain political relevance

BSP names Randhir Beniwal national coordinator after Anand Kumar declines

The Bahujan Samaj Party Wednesday appointed Randhir Beniwal as its national coordinator after Mayawati's brother and the party's national vice-president Anand Kumar expressed a desire to hold one post at a time. Kumar was recently given the additional responsibility of national coordinator. Mayawati had even announced the decision in a recent post on X. However, Kumar expressed his wish to hold only one post in the interest of the party and his request was accepted. "Keeping in mind the interests of the party and the movement, Anand Kumar, who has been selflessly serving the BSP for a long time, expressed his wish to work in only one post. His decision is welcome," Mayawati wrote on X. With Kumar not accepting the responsibility, Randhir Beniwal has been appointed to the post, she said. "Now, Rajya Sabha MP Ramji Gautam and Randhir Beniwal will jointly serve as BSP's national coordinators, working directly under my guidance to handle responsibilities in various states," Mayawati s

After removing nephew Akash from key posts, Mayawati expels him from party

A day after removing her nephew Akash Anand from all key posts, Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati on Monday said she has expelled him from the party "in the interest and movement" of the party. Mayawati said that Akash's response to her action against him on Sunday was "selfish and arrogant". In a BSP meeting on Sunday, Akash was relieved from all responsibilities as he was under the continuous influence of his father-in-law Ashok Siddharth, more than the interest of the party, for which he should "repent and show his maturity", she said. "But on the contrary, the lengthy response given by Shri Akash is not a sign of his remorse and political maturity, but is mostly selfish, arrogant and non-missionary under the influence of his father-in-law," Mayawati said in a post on X in Hindi. "Therefore, in the interest of the self-respect and self-esteem of the movement of the most revered Baba Saheb Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar and following the tradition of discipline of Manaywar Shri Kanshiram

Mayawati removes nephew from key posts, says no successor till she's alive

BSP chief Mayawati on Sunday removed her nephew Akash Anand from all party posts, and announced there will no successor to her in the party till she is alive. At a high-level meeting here with party office bearers from across the country to strengthen the party, she announced significant changes in the party leadership. The BSP chief appointed her brother Anand Kumar and Ramji Gautam as national coordinators to oversee party affairs across the country. The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister stated that she would not announce her successor in the party till she is alive, stressing that for her the party and movement is supreme and relations can come later. Mayawati had sacked Anand last year only to reinstate him later and appoint him as her political successor. She had last month announced the expulsion of Ashok Siddharth, the father-in-law of Akash Anand, from the party on charges of factionalism and engaging in anti-party activities. Siddharth, a former Rajya Sabha MP, was exp

Mayawati accuses Congress of being BJP's 'B-team' in Delhi elections

Hitting back at Rahul Gandhi for questioning her party's present political approach, BSP president Mayawati on Friday accused the Congress of fighting the Delhi assembly polls as BJP's 'B' team. Her remarks came a day after the former Congress president said he was disappointed that the Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) did not join the opposition Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) in the Lok Sabha elections. In a post on X, Mayawati said, "It is a common discussion that Congress fought the Delhi Assembly General Elections as BJP's B team this time, due to which BJP came to power there". "Otherwise the Congress would not have been in such a bad condition in this election that this party could not even save the deposit of most of its candidates," the former chief minister added. She advised the Congress leader that before pointing fingers at others, he should definitely look into his own affairs. Mayawati also noted that the new BJP government in Delhi ha

Akash Anand demands Cong leader Udit Raj's arrest over remarks on Mayawati

Calling former Lok Sabha MP Udit Raj a "sycophant" of the Congress and the BJP, BSP leader Akash Anand called for strict action against his threats to "strangle" Mayawati. In a post on X, Anand said, "He is threatening to "strangle" respected sister Miss Mayawati ji. I want to clearly tell @uppolice that these criminals should be arrested within 24 hours and strict action should be taken under the law, otherwise the Bahujan youth of the country is not going to sit quiet, I know very well how to teach them a lesson." This comes after Udit Raj on Monday launched a scathing attack on BSP chief Mayawati and said that she has "strangled the social movement" and now the time has come to strangle her. Anand, in his post said, Today in Lucknow, some old associates of Honorable Kanshiram Saheb and sometimes BJP and sometimes Congress sycophant Udit Raj have given a lot of knowledge on Saheb's mission." He accused Udit Raj of "looking for opportunities in other parties for his own selfish .

Mayawati raises concerns over alleged foreign interference in elections

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Monday raised concerns over alleged foreign interference in Indian elections, citing reports that USD 21 million was allegedly sent by an US agency under the pretext of increasing voter participation. "The news from America is quite shocking as a massive amount of USD 21 million has reportedly been provided in the name of increasing voter participation in India. The people of the country must remain cautious and question whether this is an interference in free and fair elections, and if so, who has been benefiting from it," she said in a press note issued by the party here on Monday. Her reaction came after the US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) led by billionaire Elon Musk announced a series of expenditure cuts, including USD 21 million allocated for "voter turnout in India." The DOGE in a post on X on Saturday announced cancelling many programmes costing hundreds of millions of taxpayers' dollars. The department said, "US ...

True successor of BSP would be one like Kanshi Ram's disciple: Mayawati

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Sunday asserted that the true successor of the party and its movement would be one like Kanshi Ram's disciple, who dedicates their life to strengthening the party, enduring every hardship in the process. Her remarks come days after she announced the expulsion of Ashok Siddharth, father-in-law of her nephew Akash Anand, from the party on charges of factionalism and anti-party activities. Anand (30), BSP's national coordinator is Mayawati's political successor. She had sacked Anand last year only to reinstate him later and appoint him as her political successor. In a series of posts on X, Mayawati emphasized that the BSP, founded by Kanshi Ram on the principles of Baba Saheb Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar to empower the country and uplift the Bahujan community, prioritizes the movement over self-interest and personal relations. "Following his footsteps, as a disciple and successor of Kanshi Ram ji, I too will continue to struggle and make sacrifices

Mayawati sacks Akash's father-in-law from BSP for 'anti-party' activities

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati on Wednesday announced the expulsion of Ashok Siddharth, the father-in-law of her nephew Akash Anand, from the party on charges of factionalism and engaging in anti-party activities. Anand, 30, is the national coordinator of the BSP Mayawati's political successor. Mayawati had sacked Anand last year only to reinstate him later and appoint him as her political successor. Siddharth, a former Rajya Sabha MP, was expelled along with Nitin Singh, the Meerut district in-charge of BSP responsible for overseeing party operations in the southern states. Making the announcement on X, Mayawati said, "Dr. Ashok Siddharth, former MP, and Shri Nitin Singh, District Meerut, have been expelled from the party in the interest of BSP for engaging in anti-party activities." The expulsion comes in the wake of the BSP's poor performance in the Delhi Assembly elections in which the party's candidates failed to retain their deposits in every seat they contested.

Mayawati urges voters to ensure BSP's success in Delhi Assembly polls

Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati on Monday urged the voters in Delhi to rise above caste, religion, and regional politics and support her party in the upcoming Assembly elections. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has fielded 69 candidates for the 70 seats in Delhi Assembly, which will go to polls on February. The results will be out on February 8. Mayawati in a statement blamed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Delhi, the BJP-led NDA at the Centre, and the previous Congress governments for the "deteriorating" condition of the national capital, citing issues such as lack of clean drinking water and poor living conditions. "The people of Delhi should reject narrow political agendas and vote for the Ambedkarite BSP to ensure a truly inclusive government," she said. Mayawati also cited the BSP's governance in Uttar Pradesh in the past, describing it as an administration dedicated to "Sarvajan Hitay, Sarvajan Sukhay" (welfare and happiness of all). She warned the voters, especiall

Less about people and country: Mayawati criticises Union Budget 2025

BSP leader further questioned the focus of the current BJP government's budget, drawing parallels to previous Congress budgets

Relief for Mayawati as SC disposes of 2009 PIL against statues of herself

In a relief to BSP supremo Mayawati, the Supreme Court on Wednesday disposed of a petition filed in 2009 seeking a probe into the alleged spending of more than Rs 2,000 crore from the Uttar Pradesh government's budget on installing elephant statutes and personal glorification, when she was the chief minister of the state. A bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and Satish Chandra Sharma disposed of the petition filed by two lawyers -- Ravi Kant and Sukumar -- after observing that most of the prayers had become infructuous. It noted that the Election Commission (EC) has already issued guidelines on the issue and that a stay on the installation of the statues cannot be granted as those have already been installed. The public interest litigation (PIL) matter filed by the lawyers had alleged that a total amount of about Rs 2,000 crore was used from the state's budget for 2008-09 and 2009-10, when Mayawati was the chief minister, for installing her statues and the Bahujan Samaj Party's (BSP)

Following lower GDP outlook, Mayawati urges govt to focus on public welfare

Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati on Wednesday urged the Centre to prioritise national and public welfare over "narrow politics, after the government revised downwards the GDP growth estimate for the current fiscal. Her remarks came at a time when the Indian rupee has hit a record low of 85.83 against the US dollar, and the GDP growth rate is forecast to drop to 6.4 per cent for 2024-25, the lowest in four years. "The GDP growth rate is expected to fall to 6.4 per cent. Most newspapers highlighted this as their top news today. The ones who are truly saddened by this are the country's poor and hardworking population, who, despite their tough lives, are not ready to hear any harm coming to their nation," Mayawati said in a post on X. "The poor may not have a direct connection with the falling value of rupee in the global market, yet they are unhappy about it. The government must respect their emotions, and, setting aside its 24-hour narrow politics, focus on public and national welfa

SP, BSP caution against politics over Manmohan Singh's funeral, memorial

Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president Mayawati have urged the central government to avoid any political controversy over the funeral and memorial of former prime minister Manmohan Singh. The architect of India's economic reforms and a consensus builder in the rough world of politics, Singh died at AIIMS, Delhi, late on Thursday. He was 92. His last rites will take place with full state honours at the Nigambodh Ghat in New Delhi at 11.45 am. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to have Singh's funeral at a place where his memorial can be built. In a post on X on Friday night, SP president Akhilesh Yadav said, "The tradition of honouring the country's former prime ministers must be upheld. There is no need for politics on this issue nor should there be any. "Dr. Manmohan Singh's memorial should be constructed at Rajghat. The BJP should refrain from presenting an inappropriate example of its narrow-minded

Cong doing politics of deception over 'disrespect' to Ambedkar: Mayawati

Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati on Sunday questioned the sincerity of the Congress' protests over the alleged "disrespect" to B R Ambedkar in Parliament, saying the party that ignored and undermined his struggle for the country is engaged in "politics of pure deception and selfishness". She also hit out at the BJP, alleging the ruling party and the Congress are cut from the same cloth when it comes to taking Ambedkar's name for vote bank politics. "In reality, saints, gurus and great men born in the Bahujan Samaj including Baba Saheb got full respect and honour only when there was a BSP government, which these casteist parties cannot digest," the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said in a series of posts on X. After the showdown inside and outside parliament during the winter session, the Congress has said it will hold protest marches against Union Home Minister Amit Shah, whom it has accused of "insulting" Ambedkar with his remarks last Tuesday, and observe a weeklong campaig

Mayawati calls for nationwide protest on Dec 24 over Shah's Ambedkar remark

In a series of posts on X, Mayawati said that Shah's remarks have hurt the hearts of the people