'It's a good sign' says Mayawati as controversial SP MLA Imran Masood joins BSP

Lucknow: After his hot and cold relationship with the Samajwadi party, MLA Imran Masood has announced his entry into the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).

BSP chief Mayawati has confirmed his joining through a tweet and told it as a good sign.

Masood sparked outrage during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections when he threatened to kill Narendra Modi, the Bharatiya Janata Party's then-candidate and PM face. Masood was held by the police for his comments. After the infamous publicity from his statement, Masood lost in Saharanpur in 2014 and in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

He was known as an influential Muslim leader from western Uttar Pradesh. The report states that Masood, before joining BSP, had made a condition of allowing one of his aides to contest in next mayoral polls. However, the BSP has denied accepting his condition, and a final call was to be taken by party chief Mayawati.

Mayawati said, "The joining of Mr. Masood and others in BSP after the Azamgarh Lok Sabha by-election and now before the local body elections is a good sign for the politics of UP. The Muslim society is also sure that for the liberation from hateful and cruel politics of BJP, BSP is necessary and not Samajwadi Party.

Known as a prominent Muslim leader, he had joined the Samajwadi Party in January 2022 after quitting Congress. He had also tried to enter BSP at that time. Party said that he was demanding the ticket at that time and the BSP could not promise it.