He was the Congress’s outstanding minority face in west UP for greater than a decade. Now, Imran Masood is prone to play the identical position and extra for the Bahujan Samaj Social gathering (BSP), which he joined final week.
The Mayawati-led occasion has directed Masood, the previous MLA from the erstwhile Muzaffarabad constituency in Saharanpur district, to be energetic in Uttarakhand and look to get Muslim votes there for it, stated occasion insiders, declaring how the previous Congress chief was handed over an vital job inside 4 days of his change from the Samajwadi Social gathering (SP). Instantly after he joined the BSP, Mayawati appointed Masood the BSP convener for western UP that has a major Muslim inhabitants. Within the Meeting elections earlier this 12 months, the minority neighborhood voted principally for the SP-Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) alliance, which bagged a number of seats in west UP.
Imran Masood with BSP supremo Mayawati (Twitter/@ImranMasood_in)
Sources within the BSP stated that in his first organisational assembly on Saturday, Masood initially sat on a chair within the again on the occasion’s headquarters in Lucknow. However earlier than Mayawati entered the assembly corridor, a celebration chief insisted Masood sit on the entrance row and he was provided a chair there. Through the assembly, the BSP chief launched Masood to different occasion functionaries and informed them that he would work to assist the occasion consolidate its place amongst Muslims.
Sources stated Mayawati instructed the occasion’s divisional coordinators in west UP to make sure ample preparations on the conferences Masood will deal with to attach with the plenty and that he be accorded due respect. Masood has been assigned areas in Moradabad, Saharanpur, Bareilly, and Meerut divisions. “Additionally, the coordinators have been informed that Masood will communicate on the finish of the conferences and he ought to be given the utmost time (to talk),” stated a BSP chief.
Social gathering insiders stated Mayawati had requested Masood to additionally journey to Uttarakhand, particularly the districts of Dehradun, Haridwar, Udham Singh Nagar, and Nainital which have a major Muslim inhabitants. Muslims in these areas have supported the Congress and the BSP prior to now.
“Seeing the respect and duties given to Masood in a brief span of time, cadre leaders are discussing whether or not he would be the subsequent Muslim face of the BSP in UP forward of 2024 Lok Sabha polls,” a BSP chief stated after the Saturday assembly.
The significance Mayawati has hooked up to Masood is noticeable as a result of the BSP has Muslim leaders corresponding to Munqad Ali, Naushad Ali, and Shamsuddin Rain who’ve been related to the occasion for many years however shouldn’t have the acceptance the previous MLA has within the minority neighborhood. Munqad, a former MP, earlier served because the occasion’s UP president and at current, he’s the coordinator for the Agra and Aligarh divisions. Shamsuddin is the coordinator for western UP and in addition the divisions of Azamgarh and Jhansi. Naushad Ali was the Officer on Particular Responsibility to Mayawati when she was the chief minister and at current, he’s the coordinator for the Kanpur division.
“In japanese UP, former MLA Shah Alam alias Guddu Jamali who misplaced the Azamgarh Lok Sabha bypoll in June is taken into account an vital face within the area,” stated a pacesetter, including that the BSP additionally had three Muslim Lok Sabha MPs — Kunwar Danish Ali (Amroha), Afzal Ansari (Ghazipur), and Fazlur Rehman (Saharanpur) — however none of them had been assigned any main organisational duties.
BSP spokesperson Dharamvir Chaudhary stated BSP provides due respect and illustration to all religions, castes, and sections of society. “Following the road, the occasion has given respect and duties to Imran Masood with the expectation that he’ll take ahead the Bahujan Samaj and the BSP will get the votes of Muslims in future elections.”
In keeping with a senior BSP functionary, Naseemuddin Siddiqui was the occasion’s most outstanding Muslim face in UP earlier than he joined the Congress in 2018. “Siddiqui held portfolios of greater than a dozen departments as a cupboard minister within the BSP authorities. He was additionally in control of the occasion organisation. He was the tallest Muslim face within the historical past of the BSP,” stated the chief.
At current, Siddiqui is the Congress’s regional president for western UP. This may see Masood go up towards the previous BSP veteran as he tries to revive the occasion within the area.
Within the Lok Sabha elections the next 12 months, which the BSP contested in alliance with the SP, the Mayawati-led occasion gained 10 seats, together with 4 in west UP. Among the many seats it bagged was Saharanpur, the place Masood completed third on a Congress ticket behind Fazlur Rehman of the BSP and BJP candidate Raghav Lakhanpal.