Indian-origin Mayors gain ground across US, lead two largest cities
Washington: Indian-origin politicians are gaining a wider presence in American local governance, with Nithya Raman set to become the next Mayor of Los Angeles, joining Zohran Mamdani, who heads New York City.
The development will place politicians of Indian origin at the helm of the two most populous US cities, which together have an estimated population of 12.5 million. Mamdani assumed office on January 1, while Raman is scheduled to begin her term on December 14. Until then, Karen Bass continues as Los Angeles Mayor.
Raman, who was born in Kerala, moved to the US with her family at the age of six. Mamdani, also of Indian origin, was born in Kampala, Uganda, to filmmaker Mira Nair and academic Mahmood Mamdani.
Their rise reflects the growing representation of Indian Americans in municipal politics across the country, extending well beyond major metropolitan centres.
Among them is Aftab Pureval, who is serving his second term as Cincinnati Mayor after becoming the city's first Asian American mayor in 2021. Hyderabad-born Danny Avula leads Richmond, Virginia, while Raj Salwan became Fremont, California's first Indian American elected mayor in December 2024.
New Jersey also has several Indian-origin mayors, including Samip Joshi in Edison, Pulkit Desai in Parsippany-Troy Hills, Hemant Marathe in West Windsor and Neena Singh in Montgomery.
Other Indian American mayors include Swarnjit Singh in Norwich, Connecticut, Sangeetha Rayapati in Moline, Illinois, Mihir Pankaj in Paris, Texas, and Saji P. George in Sunnyvale, Texas.
Women from the community have also held local leadership positions, including Kerala-born Vini Samuel, who served as mayor of Montesano, Washington, from 2015 to 2023.
With IANS inputs