UP Man Who Worked As Street Light Operator Gets Elected As Nagar Panchayat Chairman

He said that he attempted suicide a few years ago by laying down on the railway tracks in Meeranpur Katra but some youths pulled him away from the tracks as a train approached.

New Delhi: Once a street light operator who used to sleep hungry on the roads and attempted suicide, Mukhtar Ahmed Masoodi has come a long way to become the chairman of Meeranpur Katra Nagar Panchayat.

He was elected to the post as a Congress candidate in the Uttar Pradesh urban local body polls on May 13.

While talking to the news agency PTI, Massod said that around 10 years ago, his wife left him and went back to her maternal home in Budaun.

A resident of the Pilibhit district, Massod said, "I was heartbroken and I decided to come to Meeranpur Katra. I had no acquaintance here. I spent many nights on the pavement and ate whatever I could gather. Fed up, I decided to end my life."

He said that he attempted suicide a few years ago by laying down on the railway tracks in Meeranpur Katra but some youths pulled him away from the tracks as a train approached.

They took him to the residence of the then chairman of Meeranpur Katra Nagar Panchayat, Shamiushshan Khan, who after hearing his story offered Masoodi the job of switching on the streetlights and turning them off.

In 2023, the Meeranpur Katra seat was reserved for backward classes making Khan ineligible to contest for the seat.

"One day, Masoodi told me that if I want, he can contest the election for the post of chairman," PTI quoted Khan as saying.

After the results were declared, Masoodi won the elections by 742 votes. 

Khan said Masoodi's victory is the result of his dedication and hard work and hoped that he would serve the public in a better and more sensitive way as he has experienced poverty personally.

The executive officer of Meeranpur Katra Nagar Panchayat, Avneesh Gangwar, said, "This is the beauty of democracy. Masoodi who was once an employee is now the administrator."