Who Is Saba Haider? Ghaziabad-Born Democrat Who Defeated Republican Candidate In DuPage County Board Election

In the US presidential election, many Indians had hoped for a victory for Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, the current Vice President of the United States with ties to India. However, former President Donald Trump has returned to the White House. Meanwhile, in the American elections, Ghaziabad-born Saba Haider has given Indians a reason to celebrate with her victory.

Democratic candidate Saba put on an impressive performance in the DuPage County Board elections, defeating Republican candidate Patti Gustin by a significant margin of 8,521 votes. Earlier, in 2022, she had faced defeat but chose not to give up; instead, she continued her campaign and made a strong comeback this time.

Celebrating Haider’s victory, her father shared that politics runs in their family. “I feel incredibly proud of my daughter today. She is very talented, and with everyone’s blessings and her hard work, she has reached this position. She topped her BSc here in the city and earned a gold medal in her MSc from AMU. After that, she got married and moved to America with her husband, who is a computer science engineer. Politics is in our blood, and when she had the opportunity in America, she seized it. With encouragement from her friends, she contested and won the election,” he told NDTV.

According to the reports, Saba's mother, Mehzabeen Haider runs a school for underprivileged children. Her brother, Zeeshan Haider, who runs a business in Oman, congratulated her through a video call.

Saba unsuccessfully contested DuPage County Board elections in 2022, where she lost by a narrow margin of just 1,000 votes. Placing trust on her, Democratic Party gave her second chance, which Saba converted in her favour.

Undeterred by her defeat in 2022, she remained committed to her passion for social service, leading to her appointment to the DuPage County Health Board. Once again, the Democratic Party trusted her, and Saba converted that trust into victory.

For over 15 years, Saba Haider has been an advocate for yoga and a healthy lifestyle in the U.S., reaching thousands through both online and in-person classes. She has also led awareness initiatives focusing on health, education, environmental protection, and addiction prevention. Her accomplishments include co-organising International Yoga Day in Chicago, conducting workshops on Sanskrit and pranayama, and participating in the Vivekananda International East-West Yoga Conference.

Saba received her early education at Holy Child School and graduated at the top of her BSc class at Ram Chameli Chadha Vishwas Girls’ College in Ghaziabad. She then earned an MSc with a gold medal in wildlife studies from Aligarh Muslim University. In 2005, she married Ali Kazmi, a computer engineer, and moved to the US in 2007.

Saba Haider’s priorities include advancing local development and raising awareness about education, health, environmental sustainability, and addiction prevention. Her success is a source of pride not only for her family but also for Ghaziabad and the Indian community.