GHAZIABAD: Over the past couple of weeks, candidates of several political parties have passed by Haider house in Sanjay Nagar, canvassing for votes for the Ghaziabad assembly bypoll on November 20. But its residents, Ali and Chandni Haider, have been glued to their phones and TV, taking in every update from the US — their interest not in the Trump-Harris duel for the White House, but a small country election in the state of Illinois. There, around the same time Republicans led by Trump began scenting a decisive victory, an Indian-American Democrat pulled off an impressive win in DuPage County.
The victor happened to be Saba Haider (40), Ali and Chandni’s daughter. Saba won a seat in the DuPage County Board, defeating her Republican rival and incumbent Patty Gustin by 8,521 votes. The DuPage board comprises elected representatives from six districts.
The tenure is decided on the basis of a draw — and Saba will be on the seat for two years. At her house in Chitragupta Vihar , her parents couldn’t be prouder. “She has always been this talented.
Saba has a friend circle of politically active people who motivated her to run for the county polls. If she wants to go ahead in politics, we are always there for her,” says Ali, who retired as an engineer in UP Jal Nigam. Ali and Chandni now manage a school for the underprivileged in Ghaziabad.
They live in the Sanjay Nagar house with Saba’s elder brother Avas and his family. They have a younger son, Zeeshan, who runs a bus.