The political travels as well as travails of Imran Masood, an influential young Muslim politician of the Saharanpur region in Western Uttar Pradesh reflect the plight of leaders belonging to the community in the state. The current year has seen Masood switch from the Congress to the Samajwadi Party and now to the Bahujan Samaj Party, in a desperate bid to remain politically relevant.
His recent political gyrations are particularly telling since he has, over the past decade, been seen as a promising Muslim leader with a large personal following among his community in and around Saharanpur.
Indeed, many political observers saw Imran Masood as the political successor of his uncle Rasheed Masood —nine times Member of Parliament, five terms in the Lok Sabha and four in the Rajya Sabha. Masood senior was regarded as one of the most powerful Muslim leaders of Western Uttar Pradesh and was widely respected successively in the Lok Dal, Janata Party, Janata Dal, Samajwadi Party and the Congress.
Despite his uncle favouring his own son Shadan Masood over Imran, it was the latter who emerged over the past decade as taking over the legacy of the Masood family and rising rapidly as a Congress leader.