Team Blitz India
INDIAN American politician Nikki Haley may have suspended her presidential campaign after losing 15 states across the US on Super Tuesday, several others from the diaspora are on their way to the November 5 election.
While Indian Americans represent about 1 per cent of the total population, they comprise almost the same percentage of the US Congress. In 2023, five of them were sworn in to the US House of Representatives, which has 435 members. Just a decade ago, the chamber had a lone Indian-American.
Several Indian-American candidates in California and Texas have won their party’s nomination on the March 5 Super Tuesday primaries and advanced to elections slated for November 5.
They include incumbent Congressmen Ami Bera and lawyer Ro (Rohit) Khanna of California. Both have won their respective Democratic primaries. Incidentally, in 2013, Ami Bera was the lone Indian-American in the House. He will be facing Republican Christine Bish in the general election.
Among Republicans, entrepreneur and philanthropist Vin (Vinay) Kruttiventi is vying for a seat in the 14th Congressional District, home to a large Indian American community.
He came to the US with a degree in engineering from Osmania University in India. Kruttiventi is the founder and CEO of A5 Services, a business and technology consulting firm.
Research scientist Darshana Patel has won the Democratic primary for a state Assembly seat from California’s 76th district. She is the daughter of immigrants who moved to California when she was a teen. After losing her mother at age 14, Darshana was drawn to the medical and health research fields.
Meanwhile, Nithya Raman will face challenger Ethan Weaver in a November runoff election for the 4th District seat on the Los Angeles City Council. She is an urban planner, activist, and politician serving as the Los Angeles City Councilmember for the 4th District since 2020.
India-born real estate businessman Sandeep Srivastava, who ran uncontested from Texas’s 3rd Congressional District, has won the Democratic nomination for November 5 election. Also advancing to the general election is Sherine Thomas, who is running for election for judge of the Texas 353rd District Court. Her family left New Delhi in 1971 to come to America, where she chose to devote her legal career to public service.
According to her online profile, Sherine currently serves on the Board for Travis County Women’s Lawyer Association and co-chairs the Mentorship Committee. She is also on the Executive Board for the Calvert Inn of Court, serves on the Editorial Board for The Bencher, and was appointed to serve on the State Bar of Texas District 9 Grievance Committee.
