“It’s not about victory or defeat but about remaining relevant among the people. And I’m still relevant,” Masood told ThePrint.
Saharanpur votes in Phase 1 of Lok Sabha elections on 19 April and Masood will be locked in a triangular contest with Raghav Lakhanpal Sharma of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and Majid Ali of the Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP).
In 2014, Masood was arrested for having controversially said he would “chop the prime minister into pieces (boti-boti kar denge)” in a viral video. Although he remains in the news for his speeches and remarks, his words are more calibrated this election.
He has one major pitch — the threat that the BJP “poses” to the Constitution of India. “If you miss this time, you will not get another chance. Democracy will survive only if the Constitution survives. Therefore, cast your vote keeping the safety of your children in mind,” he said in his address at Faizabad — a line he repeats in every one of his speeches.
Both the Congress and the BJP are determined to win the seat, which BSP’s Haji Fazlur Rehman won in 2019. The BJP has already complained to the Election Commission of India that Masood is “provoking” people on religious grounds.
But so far, neither the former Muzaffarabad MLA nor his party Congress appear to be paying any heed. Local Congress leaders call this the BJP’s attempts to polarise and claim that Masood is “taking all castes along”.
Indeed, the party is going to some lengths to secure not only Saharanpur’s Muslim but also its significant Dalit voter base.
Dalits and Muslims constitute a significant 64 percent of the constituency. Of this, although Muslims form the largest chunk at 42 percent, Dalits also account for a sizeable population.
“We are going from village to village and holding small meetings. The bigger the gatherings, the more the chances of polarisation. This is what the BJP is doing. This time, we don’t want to leave anything to chance,” one Congress leader said on the condition of anonymity.
However, according to Uttam Kumar, assistant professor of political science at Vijay Singh Pathik Government Post Graduate College in Kairana, getting Dalit votes might be easier said than done.
“The Dalit factor is very important in this seat and the one who manages it, wins,” he said. “Although the BSP has weakened since 2012, its core vote is still there, even among Dalits. Also, the BJP has made a dent in it through welfare schemes,” he said.
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Change in Masood’s political tone
Masood comes from an influential political family in Saharanpur — his uncle Rasheed Masood is a nine-time MP.
Since 2022, Masood has switched three parties. Although he began his career as a Congressman, he joined the Samajwadi Party in January 2022, then switched to the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in October that same year before rejoining the Congress last October.
The BJP is taking Masood on for this controversial 2014 statement this election. But the former Muzaffarabad MLA has changed his political language this election — not only is he targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party over the perceived threat to the Constitution, he’s also speaking about Ram and roji-roti (jobs).
He has taken particular objection to the BJP’s slogan “Jo Ram ko laye hai, hum unko layenge (We will bring those who have brought Ram)”. “Who are they to bring Ram? Ram is God. Can anyone “bring Him”? Ram is a symbol of faith. You can find Him not in temples but in Shabari ka ber (among common people),” he told ThePrint. “Ram milenge maryada se jeene mein, Ram milenge Hanuman ke seene mein (You will find Ram while living with dignity and in Hunman’s heart).”
At the same time, he’s also trying to woo Rajputs, who, according to various estimates, form 8 percent of Saharanpur’s population and who are currently miffed at the BJP.
At a meeting in Raipur village in the parliamentary constituency, Masood referred to two controversies — the row over 9th-century Hindu king Mihir Bhoj’s identity and Union minister Parshottam Rupala’s controversial comments in which he claimed that erstwhile ‘maharajas‘ broke bread with the British and married off their daughters to them.
Rajputs, he claimed, have decided to vote for him. “Rajputs are saying Raghukul reet sada chali aayi, pran jaye par vachan na jaye (roughly translated: words once said will never be taken back),” he said.
According to local leaders, this election is crucial in deciding Masood’s political future.
“Even though Masood remains popular, winning the elections is also very important,” a second Congress leader told ThePrint. “If Muslims and Dalits come together, then the tide will turn (in our favour).”
However, that could be a challenge. Although his uncle Rashid Masood had the support of not only Muslims but also Hindus, Imran Masood has so far been able to unable to moblise that kind of support.
On his part, Masood hopes to do so using his Constitution pitch. “BJP wants to abolish the Constitution. Hence Dalits who follow (B.R) Ambedkar will not go with them,” he told ThePrint.
The former MLA also accuses former chief minister Mayawati of being “BJP’s hostage”. “She does whatever the BJP tells her,” he said.
Political analysts, meanwhile, believe that the BJP will pose a tough challenge to Masood. According to assistant professor Uttam Kumar, quoted earlier, the BJP is dependent on OBCs, its traditional vote bank.
In particular, the party hopes that former MLA Dharam Singh Saini’s return to its fold this week will swing these votes in its favour. Sainis, according to estimates, make up 5 percent of the constituency’s population.
“At the same time, security, law and order and infrastructure work in this area are among the main issues that can give the BJP an edge,” he said.
Masood could also have another challenge in Saharanpur— BSP’s Lok Sabha candidate Majid Ali. Brother of actor Kamal Rashid Khan, Ali is a resident of Deoband and is among the richest candidates in the first phase of Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh.
Last week, Kamal Rashid Khan, popularly known as KRK, tweeted that Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah should close all the madrasas in the country.
Although the tweet now appears deleted, Masood has made this an election issue to target his opponent.
‘Jo duniya mai deen ki roshni failate hai unpar saval uthaya ja rha hai (Those who spread the light of religion in the world are being questioned),” he said in his Faizabad speech.
‘Works only for his own interests’
Like Congress, the BJP, too, is determined to wrest Saharanpur, a seat it last won in 2014. The last fortnight has seen Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath visit the constituency four times, even doing a roadshow earlier this week.
The BJP hopes that the SP and BSP contesting the elections separately will cause a division of votes that could ultimately benefit it.
“The BJP’s top leadership wants this seat,” Bijendra Kashyap, the BJP’s convenor in Saharanpur, explained to ThePrint. “Last time we lost because the SP and BSP were in alliance. But this time everyone is fighting separately.”
Of Saharanpur’s 19 lakh voters, 6.8 lakh are Muslims while the rest are Hindus. While the BJP hopes to cash in on the Hindu votes, both the INDIA bloc of Congress and SP as well as the BSP are focusing on Muslims and Dalits.
The BJP, meanwhile, is targeting the Congress over its manifesto — in his speech, Modi has called the document a “bundle of lies” and that it “bears the stamp of” the Muslim League.
It’s a claim that BJP candidate and former MP Raghav Lakhanpal Sharma repeated this month at Deoband.
“Saharanpur’s total voters are 19 lakh, out of which 6.8 lakh Muslims are removed. Thirteen lakh voters are left. Then where’s the problem,” he said. “At the same time, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at a rally in Saharanpur that the Congress manifesto has the imprint of the Muslim League.”
However, even while publicly attacking the Congress and its candidate, local BJP leaders concede that Imran Masood has a strong base in Saharanpur despite his election losses. But they also point to how Masood has switched three parties in a short span.
“Imran is a strong leader and this time he’s reaching out to people of all sections. However, he has changed three parties within a year and people have understood that he’s working only for his own interest,” Kashyap said.
But Masood remains unfazed by the criticism. When asked about the declining role of Indian Muslims in leadership positions, he said: “A Hindu can be a good leader for a Muslim and a Muslim can be a good leader for a Hindu. This is what our Hindustan is”.
(Edited by Uttara Ramaswamy)
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