Mayawati Dismisses Speculation Over Akash Anand's Role, Says She Alone Will Finalise BSP Candidates

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Friday sought to put an end to speculation surrounding the role of the party's national coordinator, Akash Anand, asserting that she alone would decide the candidates for the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.

Mayawati dismisses speculation

In a series of posts on X, the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said that she had personally chaired several high-level meetings at the party's state office in Lucknow and had already finalised more than two dozen candidates after conducting interviews with party leaders and office-bearers.

Mayawati said that misleading claims were being circulated on social media regarding Akash Anand's role in the candidate selection process and maintained that there was "not even an iota of truth" in such reports.

She also emphasised that the final decision on candidates for both Assembly and Lok Sabha elections has always rested with her, irrespective of the state in which the elections are held.

Clarifies Akash Anand's role

The BSP supremo clarified that Akash Anand had merely been entrusted with the task of addressing public meetings and announcing candidates whose names had already been approved by the party leadership. She added that several senior leaders had also been given similar responsibilities.

Highlighting Anand's role within the organisation, Mayawati said he had spent the past year reviewing party activities and addressing public meetings across the country under her guidance. She noted that he had also campaigned extensively during the Lok Sabha elections and had addressed the party's rally held in Lucknow on the death anniversary of BSP founder Kanshi Ram in October 2025.

Appeal to party workers

Calling the developments part of the party's routine organisational process, Mayawati urged party workers to remain cautious of what she described as "mischievous and casteist elements" spreading misinformation on social media.