LUCKNOW: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Sunday expelled senior party leader and former Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Siddharth from the party for alleged anti-party activities, making it clear that he would not be taken back under any circumstances.
This is Siddharth's second expulsion in 18 months. He was earlier expelled in February 2025 and reinstated in September. At the time of his latest expulsion, he was the party's in-charge for Karnataka, Delhi, Gujarat, Odisha and West Bengal.
The BSP chief also expelled national coordinator Randhir Singh Beniwal, who was in charge of Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, and Himachal Pradesh.
In a post on X, Mayawati said Siddharth had failed to discharge his responsibilities properly in the states assigned to him.
“Not only in Karnataka but also from Odisha and West Bengal, reports of his indiscipline—that is, violation of party directives—kept coming in continuously. Since no improvement was observed despite repeated warnings, Ashok Siddharth was relieved of all party responsibilities on Saturday,” she said.
She alleged that reports of Siddharth's return to Uttar Pradesh after being relieved of his responsibilities were a deliberate attempt to create confusion within the party ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.
“Therefore, in the interest of the party and the movement, Ashok Siddharth has been expelled from the party with immediate effect today, and he will not be taken back into the party under any circumstances in the future,” Mayawati said.
Referring to Siddharth's earlier expulsion, Mayawati said he was removed from the party in February 2025 for indiscipline and violation of party directives, particularly in connection with ticket distribution for the Maharashtra Assembly elections.
She said he was reinstated later on the condition that he would not repeat such mistakes and was assigned the responsibility of strengthening the party only in states outside Uttar Pradesh.
Siddharth had earlier also been accused of encouraging groupism and anti-party activities. He was also blamed for "spoiling the political career" of Akash Anand. Akash Anand was later removed from the party but was reinstated after a few months.
Mayawati also announced organisational changes, appointing BSP Rajya Sabha MP Ramji Gautam as the new party in-charge for Punjab, replacing Beniwal. Gautam will oversee the party's affairs for the Punjab Assembly elections and continue in the role until the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.