US Presidential Election / Indian-origin people dominate US elections, more than 3 dozen people contested

US Presidential Election: The political influence of the Indian-American community in the US is growing rapidly. While the presence of Indian-origin leaders in politics was negligible a few decades ago, now many Indian-American leaders are contesting for various positions. More than 36 candidates from the Indian-American community are participating in this year's local and state elections, which is a testimony to the growing political stature of Indian-Americans. According to Indian-American Congressman Raja Krishnamurthy, "If you're not at the table, you're on the menu." His message has inspired the community to political participation, due to which Indian-Americans are now actively participating in elections at all levels.

California: Major hub of Indian-American leaders

The highest presence of Indian-American politicians is seen in California, where about 9 lakh Indian-Americans reside. Two representatives of Indian origin in this state, Ro Khanna and Dr. Ami Bera, are already serving in Congress, and Vice President Kamala Harris's Indian heritage also inspires the people here. Prominent candidates contesting from California in this election include Adla Chisti (County Supervisor), Alia Chisti (San Francisco City College Board), Darshna Patel (State Assembly), Nicole Fernandez (San Mateo City Council), Nitya Raman (Los Angeles City Council), Richa Awasthi (Foster City Council), Sukhdeep Kaur (Emeryville City Council), and Tara Srikrishnan (District 26, California Assembly).

Growing activism of Indian-American candidates in other states too

Apart from California, the presence of Indian-American candidates is also increasing rapidly in other states. In Michigan, candidates like Dr. Ajay Raman (Oakland County Commissioner), Anil Kumar and Ranjeev Puri (Michigan State House) are contesting the elections. Priya Sundaresan and Ravi Shah are also in the fray for their respective seats from Arizona. Similarly, in Pennsylvania, candidates like Anand Patekar, Anna Thomas and Arvind Venkat are contesting for the State House and Nikil Saval for the State Senate.

Georgia: Likely to become youngest state senator

In Georgia, Ashwin Ramaswamy is contesting for the state Senate. If he wins, he will become the youngest member of the Georgia State Senate. However, he has also faced racist and hate comments in his electoral journey, but this has not reduced his enthusiasm.

Indian-Americans also dominate in other states

In other states too, Indian-American candidates are in the fray for many posts. In Texas, candidates like Ashika Ganguly, Karthik Sura, Nabeel Shaik, Ramesh Premkumar, Ravi Sandil, Salman Bhojani, Shekhar Sinha, Shareen Thomas, Suleman Lalani, and Sumbal Zeb are contesting for various local and state posts. In New York, Jeremy Cooney and Manita Sangvi are candidates for the State Senate while Johan Mamdani is for the State Assembly. In Washington state, Manka Dhingra is in the race for Attorney General and Mona Das for Public Lands Commissioner.

A symbol of the political power of the Indian-American community

This presence of Indian-American leaders in various states of the US shows that they are not only creating their political identity but also establishing their community power. Leaders like Raja Krishnamurthy have made this community aware of the importance of participation in elections. This growing participation of the Indian-American community is an important example of America's diversity and pluralism.

The journey of these Indian-American leaders contesting elections for various states and positions in the US highlights the influential role of people of Indian origin. This political development is empowering the Indian-American community and making their voice decisive in American politics.