Moradabad. These days political temperature is high in Thakurdwara assembly seat of Uttar Pradesh. The claim for ticket in Samajwadi Party has intensified for the upcoming assembly elections. There are many old veterans in the fray in this race, but this time an educated and young face is being discussed the most. we are talking Engineer Iqbal Ki, who these days has emerged strongly among the possible contenders of SP in the politics of Thakurdwara. Iqbal, a 40-year-old engineer, is being seen as a strong link between traditional politics and the thinking of the young generation in the area.
In fact, Thakurdwara and surrounding areas have generally been dominated by traditional politicians. In such a situation, the entry of a person with a professional background into the political arena is attracting people. Iqbal, who belongs to Bhagatpur block area, has studied civil engineering (B.Tech Civil). After completing his studies, he also worked as an engineer till 2015. This is the reason why even today the people of the area respectfully call him ‘Engineer Iqbal’. According to the local people, this educational background of Iqbal makes him stand apart from other leaders amidst the lack of highly educated faces in politics.
Stepped into politics under compulsion, then brother created history
Engineer Iqbal’s entry into politics was not a part of any thoughtful planning. In fact, in the year 2014, his father and a prominent leader of the area, Nazir Hussain Padhan, died suddenly. Without the shadow of the father, a big void was created in front of the family, after which the circumstances changed and the responsibility of handling the political legacy of the family fell on the shoulders of the new generation.
After this, this political family further doubled its activism in local politics. Engineer Iqbal’s elder brother Afzal Hussain Padhan contested the 2015 District Panchayat elections. He registered a historic victory in this election by a huge margin of about 8 thousand votes. At that time, this victory became one of the most famous victories of the entire Moradabad district, which further strengthened the position of this family.
Invincible fort of Pradhani and Block Pradhani for 75 years
If we look at the family background of Engineer Iqbal, his family has been the pivot of the politics of the area for the last several decades. Local experts say that the organizational structure and social network of this family is so strong that it has not been easy for anyone to shake them.
- Iqbal’s uncle Hamid Hussain has been the block chief from Dilari block five times.
- His half brother Zakir Hussain Padhan has also held the position of block chief and district panchayat member.
- Elder brother Afzal Hussain Padhan has been elected District Panchayat member twice.
- Even at present, six BDC members belonging to this clan are fully active in the area.
- The most interesting thing is that in Faridpur Haji Gram Panchayat, for the last 75 years, some member of the same family has been becoming the village head.
Talking about the political career of Engineer Iqbal himself, he himself was elected block chief in March 2016. This was the first biggest turning point in his political career. While being the block chief, he not only understood the administrative nuances, but also went directly among the people and took charge of the development works.
SP’s PDA campaign and increasing popularity among the youth
Political analysts believe that the biggest USP of Engineer Iqbal is his age and his modern education. At the age of 40, he is the youngest among the main contenders for the assembly. Having an engineering background, he communicates directly with today’s new generation youth on issues like employment, development and technology, which the youth like very much. Apart from this, he has also been very active in social work for the last decade. Be it helping poor families or resolving disputes between villages, he is always at the forefront.
At present, Engineer Iqbal is working shoulder to shoulder in the PDA (Backward, Dalit, Minority) campaign of Samajwadi Party. He is continuously visiting the villages and spreading the policies of Akhilesh Yadav to the people through PDA Panchayats. This campaign has established him as a big and emerging face at the assembly level.
Although big names like current MLA Nawab Jan and Mujahid Ali are in the race for SP ticket on Thakurdwara assembly seat, the final decision has to be taken by the party high command. But, on the strength of his impeccable image, strong family heritage and increasing penetration among the youth, Engineer Iqbal has made this ticket fight very interesting and triangular.
Comments are closed.