BSP Revamp: Mayawati Removes Ashok Siddharth And Randhir Singh Beniwal With Immediate Effect

Lucknow: Ahead of the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has initiated a major organisational overhaul. BSP chief Mayawati has taken strict action against alleged indiscipline by expelling former MP Ashok Siddharth from the party. Senior leader Randhir Singh Beniwal has also been removed from the party with immediate effect.

Why did BSP expel Ashok Siddharth?

The party chief on Sunday announced that Ashok Siddharth and Randhir Singh Beniwal have been expelled from the party. Ashok Siddharth, who is the father-in-law of the party's national coordinator and Mayawati's nephew, Akash Anand, was expelled from the party in 2025 but later revoked his expulsion and was taken back into the party six months later.

Before expelling Ashok Siddharth from the party, Mayawati had stripped him of the charge of Delhi, Karnataka, Odisha, and West Bengal. Following the removal of these responsibilities, the two leaders were announced as expelled from the party through an official post on social media.

What is there in the post?

In the post, Mayawati stated that she has full authority to decide candidates for the upcoming general assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh. She has personally held meetings at the party office in Lucknow and finalized more than two dozen candidates, and will continue to decide on tickets for all seats.

Mayawati has appealed to party members and workers to be wary of the baseless claims and rumors being spread on social media about Akash Anand, as there is not an iota of truth in them. Party members should always remain vigilant against such mischievous and casteist elements.

Taking to X, Mayawati said, "As is well known, Ashok Siddharth, former MP, was expelled from the party due to indiscipline and violation of directives, particularly in relation to the distribution of party tickets in the Maharashtra elections, for not coordinating properly with the BSP Maharashtra State President and others. He was later reinstated in the party on the condition that he would not repeat such mistakes, and he was assigned the responsibility of strengthening the party's base not anywhere in Uttar Pradesh, but only in other states. However, in all the states where he was given responsibility as a BSP Coordinator thereafter, he did not fulfill his duties properly. Not only in Karnataka but also in Odisha and West Bengal, reports of his indiscipline, that is, violation of party directives, kept coming in continuously. As a result, despite repeated warnings, since no improvement was observed, Shri Ashok Siddharth was relieved of all party responsibilities yesterday."

What did Mayawati say about Akash?

Just two days earlier, Mayawati had responded to the ongoing discussions about Akash Anand, clarifying that the final decision regarding candidate selection for the UP elections rests with her and he has nothing to do with it.

Mayawati said, "Earlier, in several states, assembly elections were recently held, where, under my guidance, the party's national convener, Akash Anand, was sent to address election rallies. For the past year, he has been dispatched across the country to conduct party organization review meetings and public meetings. He is also fulfilling his responsibilities with complete honesty and integrity... All this is happening as part of the party's routine process. This has nothing to do with raising or lowering Mr. Akash Anand's stature, nor does it have anything to do with deciding the party's candidates."

Mayawati wrote, "Like other senior party officials, Akash is holding public meetings in some places in Uttar Pradesh under the guidance of the party's national president to announce the party's candidate. However, it is not right to make baseless comments about him on social media every day. Party members should always be wary of such mischievous and casteist elements."