Saba Haider: The journey from Ghaziabad and Aligarh Muslim University to entering American politics

Saba Haider, who grew up in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, has won the election for the 84th district seat of Illinois state in the recent US midterm elections.

Saba stood in the election from the Democrat Party and got 71.8 percent votes. He surprised many people by reaching the House of Representatives.

Saba Haider's family is originally from Bulandshahr in Uttar Pradesh and later the family settled in Ghaziabad adjacent to Delhi.

He did his schooling in Ghaziabad and studied MSc in Wildlife Science from Aligarh Muslim University. Her father told that after marriage, she went to America 20 years ago and settled there.

Saba Haider's brother told news agency ANI that she has also worked as a yoga teacher.

He said, "It has been a moment of great joy and celebration for all of us since the election results were announced. It is a matter of pride for our neighbours, community, acquaintances and the entire Ghaziabad city."

"In fact, this is the victory of the entire country. This is not just the victory of our sister Ghaziabad or our native city Bulandshahr, but the victory of the whole of India."

"In a way, this achievement is dedicated to all the daughters of India. It will inspire them to move forward and fulfill their dreams, because the sky is truly open before them."

Talking to BBC correspondent Chandan Kumar Jajwade, Saba Haider's brother Abbas Haider said, "After marriage, Saba went to America with her husband in 2007, her husband worked in software."

"Saba had a lot of love for yoga in India itself and even after going to America, she used to teach yoga to the teachers there. She became a yoga trainer for the teachers there."

Saba Haider's journey to reach the State Assembly has been quite interesting. Before this, neither he nor his family were ever associated with politics.

Speaking to a private news channel, Saba Haider said, "I do not belong to any political family. My mother runs a small school (in Ghaziabad). My father is a retired engineer. My brother does business. This has been my heritage."

On her victory, she said, "I would say that the sky is the limit and the sky is the beginning."

According to a news in Times of India, father Syed Ali Haider was an engineer and has retired. According to her mother, her daughter was interested in public affairs since childhood.

Debate and speech competitions held in school helped in increasing his confidence. Interest in studies and desire to participate in public discussions gradually increased his interest in politics.

He specialized in Wildlife Sciences from Aligarh Muslim University and won the gold medal. This was an important achievement in his academic journey.

On her election victory, Saba Haider told news agency PTI, "It is really an experience which is unbelievable. We had worked very hard for the last 15 months. Elections here cannot be predicted. America is a country of surprises. If anything goes wrong, anything can go wrong."

Dream was to become a senator

After the victory of Saba Haider, there is an atmosphere of celebration in her family in India. With his election victory, media cameras, neighbours, relatives and close ones started arriving at his house.

Saba's mother Shahnaz Haider said, "My life has become successful. People are saying that my daughter is the first woman of Asian origin to reach there. My hard work has paid off. The entire family stayed awake all night during the counting of votes. Sometimes she would respond to the messages, sometimes not. Then at six in the morning, when I was in school, I got a message from her that mother, I have won. I jumped off the chair."

"I run a school. I quickly came home from school and told everyone that Saba has won. Today we got the result for which we all were working so long."

Saba Haider's father Syed Ali Haider said, "I have been there in the elections. The one who can reach more people door-to-door and make them accept his intentions and his views, only he will get the votes."

"There, voting boxes are kept in advance at places like malls or libraries and people can cast their vote in advance as per their convenience. Whenever they go there, they cast their vote. Whereas on the last day of voting, one has to stand in the queue and cast their vote."

Saba Haider's father told that this time too she had intended to contest the election for senator, but due to some reasons the matter could not move forward. That's why she contested elections for State Representative.

Sabah's political journey

Saba's brother told that Saba won the gold medal in graduation. Then he did MSc in Wildlife Sciences from Aligarh Muslim University. There also he got a gold medal.

He told BBC News Hindi, "Saba did four months of research on tigers in the Jim Corbett National Tiger Reserve. She had gone to America from India about 20 years ago after getting married. Neither did she know then nor did we know that she would go into politics in future."

Saba became the president of the Parent Teachers Association (PTA) in the school in America. Then she became the head of the regional PTA. In this way Saba Haider became the leading voice of the Parents-Teacher Association in her children's school.

Saba Haider's father Syed Ali Haider said, "Saba had to work for the local people and community there. She was the commissioner of the county board, which had eight districts. Her job was to allot all the schools, land for sports. So it was work at the regional level."