UP: Mayawati hints calculated reshuffle in BSP

Lucknow: The return of Ashok Siddharth to the Bahujan Samaj Party marks more than just a reshuffle of organisational posts. It signals party chief Mayawati’s attempt to consolidate control, inject fresh energy into a struggling cadre, and balance family ties with political pragmatism as the BSP prepares for the battles ahead.

Siddharth, a former Rajya Sabha MP, was once expelled for alleged anti-party activities. His rehabilitation is striking not only because of his past but also because of his personal connection to the current power structure.

Siddharth is the father-in-law of Akash Anand, Mayawati’s nephew and national coordinator, who has been steadily emerging as the party’s second-in-command. By bringing Siddharth back and assigning him charge of four states—Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Gujarat—Mayawati has effectively placed a trusted hand close to her political heir.