Patna: Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has been dealt a fresh setback in Bihar, following its poor performance in the 2025 Assembly elections and the sudden resignation of its state in-charge, Anil Kumar.
Kumar, who also quit his primary membership of the party, cited personal reasons in a letter to the BSP chief, expressing gratitude for the “love, support and guidance” he received during his tenure.
The resignation comes a day after a high-level review of the party’s Bihar performance at the Maharaja Complex in Patna, attended by Mayawati’s nephew and national coordinator, Akash Anand, along with Rajya Sabha member Ramji Gautam and other senior leaders. Already in a weak position in the state, the party faces further instability following Kumar’s departure.
In the recent elections, the BSP contested independently but secured only one seat. Satish Yadav narrowly defeated the BJP candidate in Ramgarh, Kaimur district, by just 30 votes. The party is now concerned about the possibility of its sole MLA defecting.
During the review meeting, Kumar acknowledged that inducements were being offered to lure the party’s lone MLA away but asserted that “our MLAs will not defect.”
Bihar has previously witnessed similar challenges for the BSP. In the 2020 Assembly elections, the party also won a single seat in Chainpur, only for its MLA Mohammad Jama Khan to switch allegiance to the JD(U), subsequently being appointed as a cabinet minister by Nitish Kumar.
