Politics1 min read

Ghaziabad to Chicago: How yoga teacher won US poll

By · Published by Everything Blog

In short

Saba Haider secured her seat in the Illinois House of Representatives by winning roughly 71% of the total vote against Republican Brian Scopa. Her political trajectory developed through earlier local service on the DuPage County Board, where she led environmental and strategic planning committees. An Aligarh Muslim University graduate who immigrated to the Chicago area in 2007, she turned years of local community connections into an impactful legislative platform.

Key points

  • The candidate built her winning state legislative bid around affordable healthcare, educa…: The candidate built her winning state legislative bid around affordable healthcare, education access, and the rising cost of living.
  • Grassroots relationships formed while teaching yoga to students and corporate workers hel…: Grassroots relationships formed while teaching yoga to students and corporate workers helped initiate her political engagement.
  • Prior committee leadership addressing public health and environmental planning served as…: Prior committee leadership addressing public health and environmental planning served as a stepping stone to the Illinois state legislature.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

A yoga instructor from Uttar Pradesh has made her way into American politics, adding a new chapter to a journey that began in Ghaziabad and took her across continents.

Saba Haider, a 42-year-old former wildlife course student of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), has won the election to the Illinois House of Representatives in the United States. Haider defeated Republican candidate Brian Scopa in the contest for Illinois' 84th House District, securing approximately 71% of the votes against his 29%. Her journey is particularly unusual because politics was not her first professional destination. Haider studied wildlife sciences in India, moved to the US after getting married and established herself as a certified yoga instructor before becoming involved in community activities and electoral politics.

Saba Haider: From Ghaziabad classrooms to an AMU gold medal

Haider's educational journey began in Ghaziabad, where she attended Holy Child School. She later graduated from Ram Chameli Chadha Vishvas Girls' College before moving to Aligarh Muslim University for higher studies. At AMU, she specialised in wildlife sciences and earned a gold medal. Her academic background was rooted…

Politics