Blow to Imran Masood as son-in-law Shayan Masood joins SP

Saharanpur, Aug 21 (IANS) Congress senior leader and Saharanpur MP Imran Masood has suffered a setback after his son-in-law, Shayan Masood, quit the Congress and joined the Samajwadi Party (SP).

Shayan Masood formally joined the SP in Lucknow in the presence of party president and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav. During a programme at the SP office, Yadav welcomed Masood by draping the party’s red-and-green scarf around him and formally inducting him into the organisation. Photographs and videos of the event have since circulated widely on social media.

The political development comes amid speculation over the family’s electoral plans. Imran Masood had recently stated at a press conference that no member of his family would contest the upcoming Assembly elections.

Following the announcement, Shayan Masood’s political stance reportedly began attracting attention, with speculation mounting that he could leave the Congress.

Those rumours ended when he arrived in Lucknow alongside his father, Shajaan Masood, and formally joined the SP.

Shayan Masood is the grandson of the late Qazi Rasheed Masood, a prominent former Union minister and an influential political figure from Saharanpur. Qazi Rasheed Masood was Imran Masood’s uncle, making Shayan part of the politically prominent Masood family that has long played a significant role in western Uttar Pradesh politics.

His move to the SP is being viewed as an indication of growing political differences and ambitions within the wider family network. The immediate question is whether the SP will field Shayan Masood in the upcoming Assembly elections.

His induction could also affect the political equations in Saharanpur and western Uttar Pradesh, where the Masood family has considerable political influence. The coming months are expected to reveal whether Shayan’s switch translates into a formal electoral opportunity.

–IANS

brt/dan