Face of unity: Muslim-dominated Haryana panchayat elects Hindu woman as sarpanch

Gurugram: The Muslim-dominated Siroli village in Haryana's Nuh district has elected its sole Hindu panchayat member as the sarpanch, an officer here said.

Thirty-year-old Nisha Chauhan was elected as Siroli sarpanch on April 2.

According to a senior panchayat officer, Siroli panchayat under the Punahana block has 15 members, of which 14 are Muslims and eight are women. The post of Siroli sarpanch is reserved for women.

Only 250 out of the 3,296 voters in the village are Hindus.

According to panchayat officer Nasim, the panchayat election was held in December 2022. However, the winning candidate, Sahana, was sacked some months later after her education certificates were found to be fake.

The newly elected sarpanch said that her victory is a symbol of Hindu-Muslim unity.

"My village is Muslim-dominated but the old tradition of Hindu-Muslim brotherhood still exists there. In true sense, there is no religious discrimination in the Mewat area, a living example of which is my election as sarpanch. My victory is a message of communal brotherhood in the entire area," said Chauhan.

Former Siroli sarpanch and a current ward member, Ashraf, said the panchs have chosen Chauhan in the hope for better administration.

"Here Hindus and Muslims are in harmony. We fully participate in each other's happiness and sorrow," Ashraf said.