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UP assembly polls: Congress leader Imran Masood likely to join Samajwadi Party
Imran Masood has called a meeting of his supporters at his home in Saharanpur on Monday to discuss the matter and seek their opinion before joining the Samajwadi Party
Prominent Congress leader from western UP Imran Masood, who is the party’s national secretary, is likely to join the Samajwadi Party (SP) in Lucknow on Tuesday, about a month a before the seven-phase Uttar Pradesh assembly polls begin from the western region of the state on February 10.
Imran Masood has called a meeting of his supporters at his home in Saharanpur on Monday to discuss the matter and seek their opinion before joining the Samajwadi Party. Saharanpur district will go to the polls in the second phase on February 14.
Speaking to the media, Imran Masood said, “Under the prevailing political conditions, we need to support the SP to prevent the division of votes of likeminded people and provide good governance in Uttar Pradesh to put it on the path of development and progress.”
The Congress national secretary expressed his gratitude to party leaders Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Rahul Gandhi.
He said, “They have given me honour and respect, but it is need of the hour to work together to support a similar ideology to prevent the division of votes of youths, women and farmers who have similar thinking.”
In spite of the hard work of Priyanka Gandhi, the Congress is weak in UP, Imran Masood said, adding that he had expressed similar views at party meetings.
On being asked why Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav together could not do well in the 2017 UP assembly elections, Masood said the situation differs in each election.
He said he would take a further decision after discussion with supporters and seeking their opinion.
While the Samajwadi Party doesn’t officially comment on any prospective joining till it happens, SP spokesperson Abdul Hafiz Gandhi, talking about the trend, said: “Isn’t this a trend of movement from all parties to the SP enough to show who is coming to power? Feeling the pulse of the voters, most of the disgruntled leaders of the BSP, the Congress, and the BJP are joining our party. There must be a strong wave in favour of the SP, and that is why leaders from other parties are trusting the visionary leadership of Akhilesh Yadav.”
Before this, veteran Congressman Salim Sherwani, a five-time MP from Badaun and prominent Muslim leader from western UP, joined the SP in October 2020. Two more Congress heavyweights from the region—Harendra Malik and his two-time MLA son Pankaj Malik joined the SP in October 2021. The Maliks are politically influential Jat leaders in western Uttar Pradesh.
The Samajwadi Party and Rashtriya Lok Dal are contesting elections in western Uttar Pradesh in an alliance. The two parties are engaged in creating a Jat-Muslim-Dalit support base in the region.
