A nephew rises in BSP: Mayawati campaigns for Akash Anand as successor

Inherited power: It's all in the family

Jayalalithaa could not. Naveen Patnaik is yet to. Mamata Banerjee, when she appointed her nephew Abhishek Banerjee the head of her party’s youth wing in 2012, and now Mayawati, by pushing her nephew Akash Anand to the centre stage, have seen the wisdom of putting in place a succession plan for their respective political parties during their lifetimes.

In India, dynastic succession in political parties is the glue to keep intact the web of network and patronage. Abhishek, already a one-time Lok Sabha (LS) member, has years ahead of him to prove his ability to lead the party his aunt