Bahujan Samaj Party national president Mayawati has carried out a major organisational reshuffle at the national and state levels with a view to strengthening the party ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections and in other states.
Under the changes, senior leaders have been assigned new responsibilities and in-charges of several key states and divisions have been replaced.
In a significant decision, Dr Ashok Siddharth, father-in-law of the party’s national coordinator Akash Anand, has been appointed as central in-charge. He will now oversee Delhi, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh and Kerala. The decision indicates that Mayawati has once again reposed confidence in Dr Siddharth and assigned him an important role in the party’s organisational strategy.
Dr Ashok Siddharth has previously served as a Member of the Legislative Council and later as a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha. His daughter is married to Akash Anand, who is associated with the BSP leadership. Last year, Dr Siddharth and his close associate Nitin Singh were expelled from the party on charges of indiscipline and factionalism. A few months later, they were reinstated and he was appointed central coordinator.
At the state level, Mayawati has also introduced significant changes in Uttar Pradesh.
Naushad Ali has been appointed in-charge of the Lucknow, Kanpur, Agra and Meerut divisions.
Munqad Ali has been given charge of the Moradabad and Bareilly divisions along with responsibility for the state of Uttarakhand.
Rajya Sabha member Ramji Gautam, who had been in charge of Delhi and four states, has now been assigned responsibility for Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra.
In addition, Rajaram has been appointed in-charge of Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand; Randhir Singh Beniwal has been given charge of Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh; Nitin Singh has been assigned Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh; Dr Lal Ji Medhankar has been given Odisha and Bengal; Sumrat Singh has been appointed in-charge of Rajasthan; and Girish Chandra has been assigned Uttarakhand.
Leaders from the Muslim community have also been given responsibilities. The move is being seen as part of the party’s inclusive political approach and its preparations for the upcoming elections.
For the first time in two decades, the BSP chief has also made changes in the in-charge positions across 18 divisions in the state with the objective of forming a majority government. The party has begun preparations for the upcoming Assembly and Lok Sabha elections. Responsibilities have been assigned in areas with significant Muslim populations, and the move is being seen as aimed at strengthening support among deprived sections of society and minority communities. It is being viewed as a step that could improve the party’s prospects similar to its 2007 electoral performance.
