Imran Masood and the Muslim mood in Uttar Pradesh

The influential western U.P. leader has switched sides thrice – from Congress to SP to BSP – in nine months, each time ‘in the hope’ of finding a better position to corner the BJP in the State

The impact of influential western Uttar Pradesh leader Imran Masood quitting the Samajwadi Party (SP) and joining the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is being seen in more ways than one.

One, Muslims have seen the limitations of the ‘Muslim-Yadav+’ experiment in the U.P. Assembly polls and a section wants to go back under the ‘Muslim+Dalit’ umbrella of BSP chief Mayawati.

Another section feels that by aligning with the BSP, the Muslim mass leader is trying to buy peace with the ruling dispensation because he has seen the plight of SP leaders Azam Khan and Nahid Hasan. Others see it as an act of desperation to save his shrinking political capital from the entrenched Muslim leadership of the SP.

Mr. Masood, who left the Congress after a long innings in January this year to join the SP and “strengthen” its position in the Assembly polls, made the switch to the BSP on Wednesday and was immediately appointed the coordinator of the party’s western U.P. unit.

Advantage BSP

For the BSP, it is an investment in a grassroots Muslim leader after relying on candidates who bring the money bags but don’t nurture the party’s Dalit base. Also, Mr. Masood could be projected as a counterpoint to Rashtriya Lok Dal Chief Chaudhary Jayant Singh, who has secured some advantage by working on the Jat-Muslim combination, in western U.P.

Mr. Masood said his experiment with the SP failed because the results of the Assembly polls showed “Muslims alone could not defeat the BJP”. With the BSP having a dedicated vote bank (Dalits), he said, “they (Muslims) would be in a better position to corner the BJP.”