Imran Masood, the man who gained notoriety for saying he would chop off Prime Minister Narendra Modi's hands.
The Congress party released its first list of Lok Sabha candidates on Thursday for the upcoming General Elections. The 15-name list, which includes party president Rahul Gandhi and former president Sonia Gandhi, also had a surprise name: Imran Masood, the man who gained notoriety for saying he would chop off Prime Minister Narendra Modi's hands.
Masood's candidature from Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh has raised eyebrows in political circles since the party had tried to first distance itself from his remarks. The video showing him making those comments had surfaced in the run-up to 2014 Loksabha polls and gone viral; Masood was then the party's candidate from Sharanpur constituency. Over a period of time, however, the party slowly embraced him and even nominated him in the 2016 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, which he lost.
The list, that has four names from Gujarat and 11 from UP, also indicates that the chances of any alliance with the Samajwadi Party-Bahujan Samaj Party in Uttar Pradesh are slimmer. This is also an indication that despite speculations, Sonia is not retiring and Rahul is not changing his constituency. Sonia will contest from Raebareli and Rahul from Amethi.
Former Union ministers Salman Khurshid, Jitin Prasad and R P N Singh have been fielded from their traditional seats of Farrukhabad, Dhaurahra and Kushi Nagar respectively. Former UP Congress chief Nirmal Khatri will contest from Faizabad, while Bharatsinh Solanki, the party's ex-chief of the Gujarat unit, has been fielded from the state's Anand constituency.
At Arm’s Length
- Ahead of 2014 polls, Imran Masood was seen saying in a video that he would chop off PM Narendra Modi’s hands
- He was then the Congress candidate from Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh
- Congress distanced itself from him, but nominated him in the 2016 Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, which he lost
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Imran Masood")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}