Ghazala Hashmi, Hyderabad-born Muslim woman elects Virginia 1st Lt Governor
By Anjali Sharma
WASHINGTON – Ghazala Hashmi, Hyderabad-born Muslim woman on Wednesday was elected as Virginia 1st Lt Governor, according to media reports.
Young Ghazala spent her early years living with her grandparents in Malakpet surrounded by stories of independence, public duty, and family warmth.
At the age of four, she, her mother, and her brother packed their bags to join her father in America.
Virginia voters have chosen Ghazala Hashmi as the state’s new Lieutenant Governor in a moment that felt like history turning a fresh page.
She became the first Indian-American to hold the position at the age of 60.
This win is more than a result on election night. It is a story of belonging, of identity, and of how the American dream now carries accents, memories, and childhoods from across oceans.
Hashmi, who walked the busy streets of Malakpet in Hyderabad as a little girl, will now walk the marble floors of Virginia’s executive office.
Hashmi’s story begins in Hyderabad in 1964, in a home filled with books, education, and big dreams.
Her parents, Tanveer and Professor Zia Hashmi, believed deeply in learning and public life.
Hashmi father studied at the famous Aligarh Muslim University before earning a PhD in the United States and later founding a Center for International Studies.
Her mother was a double graduate from Osmania University’s women’s college.
