This is a tale of two 'sisters'- Didi in West Bengal and Behenji in Uttar Pradesh - and their on-again, off-again relationship with their nephews, aka their "successors".
Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and BSP (Bahujan Samaj Party) supremo and former Chief Minister Mayawati brought in their nephews Abhishek Banerjee and Akash Anand into the parties they head. Later, both were anointed successors by their aunts.
But as the nephews came of age, politically speaking, and formed their own coteries, their aunt-bosses started feeling uneasy about the unexpected parallel power centres.
Recently, both Didi and Behenji divested their nephews of the 'crown prince' title. The twists could put a daily soap to shame.
Rise of The Nephews
Didi introduced her 'bhaipo' (nephew in Bengali) to politics soon after coming to power in West Bengal in May 2011. She refused to be deterred by nepotism barbs when it came to promoting and defending Abhishek Banerjee.
Abhishek was launched into politics as a member of the Trinamool Congress in 2011 at the age of 24. The same year, the party launched a new youth wing called 'Yuva' with Abhishek Banerjee as its president. This upset many, including Mamata Banerjee's top aide Suvendu Adhikari (now in the BJP), who headed an already active and strong Trinamool Youth Congress at the time.
Bypassing old timers in her party, Mamata Banerjee decided to field her nephew from the prestigious Diamond Harbour seat in the 2014 Lok Sabha election. He went on to win the seat in 2019 and 2024. In 2021, Abhishek Banerjee became national general secretary of the party. He was the chosen one. Until the silent fallout.
Mayawati introduced her nephew Akash, son of her brother Anand Kumar, at the age of 22 in 2017. After the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the BSP chief made her brother Anand Kumar vice president, and Akash the national coordinator of the party.
Akash was entrusted with managing the BSP's 2024 Lok Sabha campaign. The party didn't win any seat in the polls.
A case was filed against Akash in May 2024 for his hate speech during the campaign. Mayawati then removed Akash both as national coordinator and her political successor. But she soon had a change of heart.
Two months later, Akash Anand was reinstated in both positions and given the responsibility of leading the party's campaigns in Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Delhi.
In March, Akash was not only shunted out but also expelled from the party. The drama lasted a few days.
On April 13, Akash put out a public apology on X to his aunt. She "melted" and Akash was back in the BSP - on the condition that he would "respect party elders" and not hobnob with his father-in-law Ashok Siddharth.
Mayawati declared this time that she would not name a successor in her lifetime.
Lost bonhomie
Both Mamata Banerjee and Mayawati are battle-hardened women politicians worried about the future of their parties. And so, the need to bring in someone close and trusted and groom them for future leadership.
This has led to much heartburn among the veterans who worked alongside their leaders to build the party. Having weathered the resentment of the seniors, these strong women leaders feel insecure when it comes to their protégés asserting themselves.
The Trinamool currently has two groups - one loyal to the boss and the other, her nephew.
There is a growing feeling, especially in Abhishek Banerjee's camp, that Mamata Banerjee is insecure and that is why she has denied him a place in her cabinet. And that she loves to be the power centre and doesn't like anyone challenging her position - including her nephew.
Many old timers were up in arms against Abhishek in December 2023, when he advocated an age limit for politicians holding organisational and ministerial posts. This was seen by many as a hint for Mamata Banerjee. But she sided with the old timers and asserted that hers would be the 'last word' on such matters. The chief minister also shut down suggestions from Abhishek Banerjee's coterie to give him a role in the government. The aunt-nephew tension persisted in 2024.
Abhishek Banerjee has even been disapproving of the Mamata Banerjee government's handling of issues like the RG Kar Hospital rape case. He differed with some party leaders on the issue of boycotting artists who had been critical of the Trinamool government's handling of the case.
Sources say, Mamata Banerjee tersely showed Abhishek his place by conveying the message that he was not a part of her government, so had no authority to question or take decisions. She has also been critical of ministers close to Abhishek.
It has been firmly conveyed to Abhishek that he has to prove himself among party cadre and gain the respect of his seniors.
Since the Lok Sabha election last year, Abhishek has been asking for the removal of district chiefs wherever the party fared poorly. There were also rumours of him quitting the party.
These reports agitated Mamata Banerjee so much that he had to declare his loyalty publicly at a party meeting in February.
Likewise, Mayawati is known to harbour insecurity. When BSP founder Kanshi Ram made Mayawati his successor in December 2001, her first move was to expel leaders close to her mentor. Over the years, she kept shafting anyone who was a threat to her. Now it's her own nephew.
The BSP has been out of power for years now. With Mayawati periodically lapsing into silence, there hasn't been much action for the BSP cadre and leadership.
Akash Anand has yet to achieve any political milestones. Even so, he carried substantial authority in party affairs across India in his role as national coordinator and "behenji's" successor.
After the BSP's debacle in every election, sidelined party veterans loyal to her complained about Akash and his father-in-law calling the shots. They were also blamed for mismanaging party funds. The complaints rattled Mayawati, who feared that the youth in the party might go with Anand. As a balancing act, she inducted her younger nephew Ishan Anand - Akash's sibling - into the party in January.
For both Mamata Banerjee and Mayawati, family may be the only way forward. But their nephews need to play their cards right.
(The author is Contributing Editor, NDTV)
Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author
