15 Facts About Shazia Ilmi

Shazia Ilmi started her political career with the Aam Aadmi Party and was a member of its National Executive before she left the party in May 2014 and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in January 2015.

Shazia Ilmi comes from a middle-class Kanpur-based Muslim family with links to the Indian National Congress political party.

Shazia Ilmi was educated at St Mary's Convent High School in Kanpur and Nainital and then at St Bede's College, Shimla.

Shazia Ilmi then completed degree courses in journalism and broadcasting at Jamia Millia Islamia and the University of Wales, Cardiff, and completed a diploma in 16mm film production at New York Film Academy.

Shazia Ilmi's brother Aijaz Ilmi is a member and spokesperson of the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Shazia Ilmi's sister is married to Arif Mohammed Khan, a former Indian National Congress politician and Union Minister, who is currently the Governor of Bihar.

Shazia Ilmi spent 15 years in varied aspects of television news and documentary production.

Shazia Ilmi has been an anchor on Star News, where she hosted and produced the popular prime time news show Desh Videsh.

Shazia Ilmi has been a member of the International Association of Women in Radio and Television.

Shazia Ilmi was a co-director, with Radha Hola, of a 1996 documentary concerning the eco-feminist Vandana Shiva.

In 2011, Shazia Ilmi joined the anti-corruption campaign, that was being led by Anna Hazare, and became the urbane, Muslim, media-savvy face of Team Anna.

Shazia Ilmi contested the Lok Sabha elections, 2014 for the AAP from Ghaziabad but lost to V K Singh.

Shazia Ilmi joined the BJP on 16 January 2015 along with IPS Officer Kiran Bedi in a felicitation ceremony at the Delhi BJP office, just before the upcoming 2015 Delhi Assembly elections.

Shazia Ilmi was appointed as a national spokesperson of the Bharatiya Janata Party in July 2021.

In January 2017, Shazia Ilmi was appointed the additional director of Engineers India Ltd from 27 March 2017 to 30 January 2020.