Congress names Rasheed Masood as special invitee in CWC

NEW DELHI: The Congress on Monday nominated its newly-inducted Muslim face in western Uttar Pradesh, Rasheed Masood, as a special invitee in the Congress Working Committee. The appointment is being seen as yet another move by the grand old party to showcase its "commitment" to the minority community in the poll-bound state.

Masood had joined the Congress last month after quitting Samajwadi Party. He resigned from the post of national executive member of SP and also quit as an MP of the Rajya Sabha. His shift to the Congress corresponded with the announcement of a pre-poll alliance between the Congress and the Rashtriya Lok Dal.

While the Congress-RLD pact is expected to bring about Jat consolidation in western UP, Masood, a Muslim leader in Saharanpur belt, is being banked upon by the Congress to make inroads into the minority votebank in the region. The Jat-Muslim combination is seen by the Congress as a likely "game-changer" for the party in western UP.

The Congress, which has seen a steady erosion in its minority voteshare over the last couple of decades, bringing regional players like BSP and SP to the centrestage in the politically-crucial state, is leaving no stone unturned to woo Muslims back to its fold. Just a couple of days before the UP poll was announced, the ruling party at the Centre announced 4.5% quota for minorities within the 27% OBC quota. Not only this, it also agreed to the representation of minorities in the proposed Lokpal panel.

Masood - who joined Congress along with his nephew and Samajwadi Party MP Imran Masood - is said to have rebelled against the SP leadership after being sidelines in distribution of tickets for the forthcoming assembly poll in UP.