Gurgaon, Dec 16: It was perhaps for the first time
that a lady of the Meo Muslim community from here was elected
to Rajasthan assembly.
Zahida (40) from Gurgaon who contested the assembly polls
on a Congress ticket from Kaman constituency is the sole
representative of her community to win in the recent Rajasthan
elections.
She defeated her nearest rival by 8000 votes.
Kaman constituency was won twice by her father Tayyab
Hussain in 1993 and 1998. Zahida was fielded by Congress from
this seat as Hussain died before the polls in October.
Popular as "choudhry" in the Meo Muslim community, Hussain
was also an elected Member of Parliament for two times, Zahida
said while narrating her background.
She said her entire family was active in politics.
Her father was the only person in the country to become a
minister in three states of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan, she
said proudly adding that once celebrity Amitabh Bachchan in
his famous programme `Kaun Banega Crorepati` asked a question
about her father.
She said her grandfather Mohd Yasin Khan became an MLA in
the first elections held in British-India in 1926 and remained
a member of Punjab Assembly till 1946 and then from 1952 to
1962.
One of her brothers Fazal Hussain also contested the
Rajasthan assembly elections on BSP ticket but he lost it.
Another brother Zakir Hussian, a former minister in Haryana
has been the district president of Congress party in Mewat.
He recently joined BSP and has been announced BSP`s
candidate for Lok Sabha from Gurgaon constituency.
Zahida said that her family has been spreading awareness
about education as it is the only means for the development of
Meos, who are considered most backward in the Muslim
community.
The family also established educational institutions and
fought against communal forces in Mewat region, which is
spread across six districts of Haryana and Rajasthan, Zahida
said adding that she was proud and lucky to be born in such a
progressive family.
In the wake of country`s partition, Mahatma Gandhi also
visited Mewat in 1947 and persuaded the Meo community not to
leave India. Zahida claims that her family`s role was critical
at that time in convincing the Meos to stay back.
She asserted that she would continue to motivate her
community and educate their girls so that they rise in the
society.
After her schooling from prestigious institutions, Zahida
studied LLB from Delhi University and married an engineer
Jalish Khan.
Zahida was not new to Kaman constituency as she was
elected a Chairman of Panchayat Samiti Kaman for 2000-2005
period.
Bureau Report
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