Shazia Ilmi

Shazia Ilmi was born on 2 April 1970 in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, into a middle‑class Muslim family with political links; her father was the founder and editor of the Urdu newspaper Siyasat Jadid. She completed her schooling in Kanpur and Nainital, attended St. Bede’s College in Shimla, and pursued mass communication and journalism courses at Jamia Millia Islamia and the University of Wales, Cardiff.

She had a long career in television journalism, working for over 15 years as an anchor, producer, and correspondent with outlets such as Star News, and producing documentaries. Ilmi also engaged with international media organisations and directed documentary films on social themes.

Ilmi transitioned into public activism when she joined the India Against Corruption movement led by Anna Hazare in 2011‑12, serving as a visible spokesperson and media strategist. She was later a founding member and national executive member of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), contesting the 2013 Delhi Assembly elections and the 2014 Lok Sabha elections on AAP tickets, although she was not elected.

Dissatisfied with internal party issues, she resigned from AAP in May 2014 and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on 16 January 2015. In July 2021, she was appointed national spokesperson of the BJP. In addition to her political work, she has engaged in public advocacy, including moving the Supreme Court in 2022, seeking a uniform code for alimony and maintenance.

In 2023, Ilmi served on the jury panel of the ENBA Media Awards, reflecting her continued engagement with journalism and media industry initiatives alongside political work.

During 2024, Ilmi was involved in a high‑profile defamation and privacy legal dispute with journalist Rajdeep Sardesai after a televised debate, with the Delhi High Court issuing notices and directives relating to the circulation of video footage from the incident.

In early 2025, the Delhi High Court imposed a cost of ₹25,000 on Ilmi for suppressing facts in the aforementioned defamation suit. The court later took steps to enforce the removal of disputed video content from social media platforms.

As of 2026, she continues her role as a BJP national spokesperson and regularly engages in public debates and party strategy discussions.