Rabia blazes a trail as Nuh’s first woman candidate

Nuh: In Muslim-dominated Nuh, counted amongst the country’s most backward areas, Rabia Kidwai has broken a glass ceiling -- becoming the first woman to contest Assembly polls from the constituency where women are rarely seen without a veil, let alone lead a political campaign and fight an election.

While the 34-year-old businesswoman from Gurguram is aware of the myriad challenges that confront her, she also knows she represents a change which is precisely why, she feels, people would vote for her in these assembly polls in Haryana. Kidwai, granddaughter of former state Governor Akhlaq Ur Rehman Kidwai, has been fielded by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

Up against her are battle-hardened Congress MLA Aftab Ahmed and Indian National Lok Dal’s Tahir Hussain, who also holds sway among the locals. Apart from the seasoned political opponents, she also has to surmount other challenges: the deep-rooted gender bias, the outsider tag for her in Nuh, the general lack of awareness and education among voters. Kidwai says she is ready for the fight though, banking on her family’s political lineage and her being a woman.

As the polling day nears, she is busy campaigning, seeking votes for herself and her party. “The women here tell me that they rarely visit any political party’s office to raise any problems they might have. Although the gender bias situation is not as it used to be decades back, they tell me it is still not very common to have a woman contesting elections or sitting at a political party’s office to attend to women coming with problems or request,” she told PTI in an interview. She found out during her campaign “the bias is much deep-rooted than I thought it would be.” Nuh was established as a separate district in 2005 from parts of what was then Gurgaon and Faridabad. It has three assembly constituencies: Nuh, Fereozepur Jhirka and Punhana. “Yes, I am an outsider in Nuh and have never lived here. But I come from the community and I have what it takes to bring Nuh at the same level as Gurgaon, especially when it comes to education,” she told PTI.

“I believe any outsider perspective is great contribution for the area because I can represent the people from the area in a way that is more inclusive and educated.” She said her grandfather is known the development work he carried out in the region, including the establishment of Shaheed Hasan Khan Mewati Medical College. However, she says overall the region lacks development and it is extremely backward even though it is just 70 kms away from Delhi.

“The kind of development there is in Sohna and Gurgaon, this area is far from that. If you go to the villages here, you will be surprised with the lack of development and amenities there,” she added. She claims both men and women are supporting her, driven by a desire for change, particularly after the 2023 Nuh riots which left many feeling abandoned by the political class.