Key opposition figure Kumari Mayawati announced her nephew Akash Anand as her political heir on Sunday.
During a political career spanning over three decades, former school teacher Mayawati raised her voice against dynastic politics on multiple occasions. However, it seems that she couldn't find a face from outside her family to lead the BSP.
Anand is the son of Mayawati's brother Anand Kumar and will be charged with reinvigorating the party.
Mayawati's move comes at a time when BSP fights for relevance in one of India's most crucial state.
Uttar Pradesh sends 80 lawmakers to the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Indian Parliament.
While the BSP won 10 Lok Sabha seats in the 2019 parliamentary polls, the party performed abysmally in last year's assembly elections, winning seats from a lone constituency in a 403-member legislature.
Despite being a big name in India's opposition, Mayawati hasn't officially joined the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (I.N.D.I.A), which is led by the Congress Party.
What is Akash Anand Known for?
Mayawati's nephew Akash Anand came into the limelight during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, when he coordinated the elections for the party after being named as the BSP's national coordinator.
In the recently-concluded Rajasthan assembly polls, Anand served as the BSP's man-in-charge for the state, where the party won two seats among the 199 that went to elections last month.
He ventured into politics as a 22-year-old in 2017 following his return from London where he was pursuing his MBA.
On a popular social network, Anand describes himself as a young supporter of Baba Bhimrao Ambedkar, the architect of India's constitution.
"I stand for Education, Empowerment, and Equality," Anand states in bio on the platform.