Sofia Firdous Becomes First Muslim Woman Elected to Odisha Assembly

Sofia Firdous, Congress MLA from Barabati-Cuttack, has made history by becoming the first Muslim woman legislator to be elected to the Odisha Assembly. Firdous secured victory by defeating BJP’s Purna Chandra Mahapatra with a margin of 8,001 votes. Despite 141 women having become MLAs in Odisha since 1937, no Muslim woman had previously won an assembly seat before her.

Reflecting on her groundbreaking achievement, Firdous emphasized the need for greater women’s representation in the assembly. She noted the low number of women members among the 147 MLAs and called for an increase in women’s participation across all fields, including politics. Asserting her role as a potential role model for women, the Congress leader cited former chief minister Nandini Satpathy as her political inspiration. An alumna of IIM Bangalore, her victory marks a significant step forward in advancing gender inclusivity in Odisha’s political landscape.

Know more about Sofia Firdous

32-year-old Firdous hails from a political family and is the daughter of senior Congress leader Mohammed Moquim. She succeeded her father in the 2024 Odisha Assembly elections and emerged victorious.

Firdous holds a degree in Civil Engineering from Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology and completed an Executive General Management Program from the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore (IIMB) in 2022.

In 2023, Firdous was elected as the president of the Bhubaneswar chapter of the Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Associations of India (CREDAI) and serves as the East Zone Coordinator for the CREDAI women’s wing. She is also the Co-Chair of the Bhubaneswar Chapter of the CII – Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) and a core member of INWEC India.