Imran Masood has been elected as a Lok Sabha MP for the first time. He has been a prominent face in Uttar Pradesh politics for many years. In the recently held Lok Sabha elections, Masood won on Congress ticket from Saharanpur constituency. He had defeated BJP’s Raghav Lakhanpal by 64,542 votes. BSP’s Majid Ali was on the third position in this election. Masood is carrying on the political legacy of his family, which has been influential in the Saharanpur region for decades. He is known for his controversial statements.
Inauguration of ‘Kavad Camp’ in the constituency
Over the years, he has worked on his Muslim fundamentalist image and avoided commenting on communal issues. Instead, he has tried to reach out to Hindu voters and has often been seen saying “Ram Milenge Maryada Se Jeene Mein, Ram Milenge Hanuman Ke Cine Mein”. Last week, Masood inaugurated a ‘Kavad Camp’ for Kavad Yatris in his constituency; where they gave food and fruits to the pilgrims.
Political background of Imran Masood
Masood’s grandfather Qazi Qayyum Ahmed was elected as the president of Gangoh region in 1923. His grandfather was elected as an independent MLA from Nakur in 1969. Before that he was the president of Gangoh Nagar Parishad for 27 years. Imran’s father Rashid Masood was also the chairman of Gangoh Municipality. But, he says he is inspired by his uncle Rashid Masood’s work. His uncle Rashid Masood was first elected MP from Saharanpur in 1977 and was elected for the fifth time from the seat in 2004 as a Samajwadi Party (SP) candidate.
Imran Masood entered mainstream politics in 2001 by contesting elections for the Saharanpur Municipal Council. By 2006, he became the chairman of the city council. In 2007, he was first elected as an independent MLA from the Muzaffarabad Assembly seat (known as Behat after the 2008 devolution). Masood proceeded under the guidance of his uncle. In 2012, Congress selected him as the young face of Rahul Gandhi’s team. In the same year, he contested from the Nakur Assembly constituency, but lost to BSP’s Dharam Singh Saini.
Masood threatens PM Modi
A video clip of him surfaced before the 2014 Lok Sabha elections; In which Masood was seen holding BJP and the Sangh responsible for the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots and allegedly threatening BJP’s then prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi . A case of hate speech was registered against him. In the subsequent Lok Sabha elections, he was defeated by BJP’s Raghav Lakhan Pal. Masood also had to accept defeat in the 2017 Assembly and 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Congress then SP and then BSP
Ahead of the 2022 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, Masood left the Congress to join the SP. But in October of the same year, he also quit the SP to join the BSP. In the BSP, he was given the additional responsibility of working among Muslims in Uttarakhand and party chief Mayawati appointed him as its coordinator for western Uttar Pradesh. However, in August 2023, Mayawati expelled Masood from the party on charges of anti-party activities. After that he returned to Congress. Sources in the BSP said that the party’s senior leadership was upset with him due to some of his statements to the media. He had praised the senior Congress leaders in front of the media.
Imran Masood’s reaction
Speaking to Indian Express, Masood said, “I grew up in a political family. In 1987, when I joined Lucknow University for graduation, I started with student union politics. I am carrying on my family legacy.” Recounting his experience of the first session of the Lok Sabha, he said, “I got support in Parliament. Senior members from all parties supported the new members. When I ended my House speech on the Presidential Address, several BJP MPs including two ministers applauded me.” He also said that he has many questions in the ongoing budget session of Parliament. “So far I have not had an opportunity to speak on the Union Budget, but I will speak on it during the discussion on the demand for grants,” he said.
“Whenever I get an opportunity to speak in the House in the next five years, I will make the most of the time. My first concern for Saharanpur is healthcare. I have sought time from the Union Health Minister to discuss this,” Masood said. Talking about the debate in the House so far, he said, “Undoubtedly, Rahul Gandhi (Leader of Opposition) made an impressive speech in Parliament. The opposition is in a strong position this year.”
