Sofia Firdous Makes History By Becoming Odisha's First Muslim Woman MLA

The tension was sky-high as the Congress was left with no candidate, and in such a difficult situation, Congress gave the responsibility of contesting the elections to the daughter of Mohammed Moquim, and she repaid that faith by registering a win over the BJP's Purna Chandra Mahapatra by a margin of just over 8000 votes. 

The 32-year-old abandoned her career as a real estate developer for the sake of taking part in the elections. After her win, she stressed that she is not a politician. She said, "I am not a politician. When my father was unable to contest the elections, a large gathering of 400–500 supporters convened at our residence. Recognizing the hard work and solid base my father had established in Cuttack, they unanimously endorsed me to step into the fray."

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Talking about the doubts she had before the polls, she said, "I just had one month for the elections. My major fear was that people knew my father well, as he had done a lot of grassroots work. He lost in 2014 and then emerged victorious in 2019. So why will people vote for me and trust me so quickly?"

Sofia Firdous actively participated in the election campaigns of her father in 2014 and 2019 as well. She handled many things, from social media to even collaborating with Congress Party workers during those times. Sofia Firdous also said that she is very inspired by Nandini Satpathy, the former Chief Minister of Odisha, and she wants to follow in the footsteps of the "Iron Lady of Odisha."