Mayawati Expels Senior BSP Leader Ashok Siddharth Again Ahead of 2027 UP Polls

Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati has once again expelled senior leader Ashok Siddharth from the party, along with state coordinator Randhir Singh Beniwal, citing repeated indiscipline as the BSP moves to tighten its organisation ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.

A Second Expulsion for Siddharth

Siddharth, a former Rajya Sabha member, is the father-in-law of Mayawati's nephew and BSP national coordinator Akash Anand. He had previously been expelled from the party over disputes tied to ticket distribution during the Maharashtra Assembly elections, before being reinstated after publicly apologising and assuring the leadership he would not repeat the conduct.

Following his reinstatement, Siddharth was given organisational responsibilities limited to states outside Uttar Pradesh, a move seen as an attempt to keep him engaged with the party while distancing him from the state unit at the centre of the upcoming election battle. According to the BSP leadership, however, complaints about his conduct continued to surface from Karnataka, Odisha and West Bengal despite repeated warnings.

Mayawati Cites Confusion Ahead of Polls

Announcing the expulsion, Mayawati said reports suggesting Siddharth could return to a role in Uttar Pradesh politics were part of a deliberate effort to create confusion within the party and disrupt preparations for the 2027 Assembly elections. She said he would not be permitted to rejoin the organisation going forward, a firmer stance than the conditional reinstatement offered after his earlier expulsion.

Beniwal, who held a coordinator role, was expelled alongside Siddharth on similar grounds of violating organisational directions.

Why It Matters for the BSP

The BSP has struggled in recent Uttar Pradesh election cycles to hold on to its traditional support base, and Mayawati has periodically moved to reshuffle or discipline senior functionaries as part of rebuilding the party's ground organisation. Repeated expulsions and reinstatements of the same leader also point to ongoing friction within the party's upper ranks over control of ticket distribution and regional coordination — a sensitive issue with the next Assembly election less than two years away.

Whether this latest expulsion holds, given that Siddharth was brought back once before, remains to be seen. For now, the party leadership appears intent on signalling zero tolerance for internal dissent as it heads into a campaign cycle it will be keen to contest on a more disciplined footing.

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