Although Kairana’s newly elected MP from Samajwadi Party, Iqra Hasan Choudhary, comes from a family deeply ingrained in politics, it was not always her plan to follow the same path. When her brother, who was contesting from the Kairana seat in the 2022 UP Assembly elections was jailed, Choudhary rose to the occasion and took over his campaign. Although she entered politics under challenging conditions, she says working closely with people on the ground has inspired her to pursue it as a profession.
Choudhary defeated the incumbent BJP MP Pradeep Kumar by over 69,000 votes, becoming one of the 24 Muslim MPs to reach the Lok Sabha this term. The 29-year-old won the Gujjar-dominated seat in the sugarcane belt of Uttar Pradesh which was once represented by her grandfather Chaudhary Akhtar Hasan and father Munawwar Hasan. Choudhary is the second woman in her family to hold office, after her mother Tabassum Hasan, who became politically active after her husband’s death in 2008.
Choudhary says her win has proved that people are rejecting BJP’s politics of hate. “The equation of this constituency is such that if the election is fought on religious or caste grounds, we can never win. We can only win this election when we have the support of every community. Now that we’ve won, it means that every community has supported us,” she said in a media interview.
Choudhary first made headlines when she participated in an anti-CAA protest in London while pursuing her master’s in international law and politics from London’s School of Oriental and Asian Studies. She had envisioned herself pursuing a doctorate and entering academia. However, the COVID-19 pandemic forced her to return home, and one thing led to another, and before she knew it, she was actively involved in politics.
In her political campaigns, speeches and interviews, Choudhary has stressed the need for more representation of women in politics saying although every party needs to work on better representation, the first step would be to support the women candidates already contesting. “It is a patriarchal society and even to get a seat at the table, you have to go through a lot,” she said in a media interview.
When asked about her stand on Hijab politics in a media interview, as someone who covers her head, Choudhary says she is pro-choice. “If you want to cover your head it’s your personal choice, if you don’t want to cover your head, that is also your personal choice. In my opinion, religion is a very personal thing. Although we involve it a lot in politics, but we shouldn’t,” she says.
Choudhary has also vowed to raise her voice for the distressed farmers in the Kairana region, for better facilities and more doctors at the local hospitals, establishment of institutes for higher studies for women, access to electricity and better roads in rural areas.
