INDIAN-BORN democratic socialist Nithya Raman has been electedMayor of Los Angeles, scripting history as she becomes thefirstSouthAsian Mayorof thenation’ssecondlargest city. Raman, 45, who was a Los Angeles City Council member, defeated incumbent 73- year-old Karen Bass in the November 3 mid-term elections.With this victory,America’s twolargest cities -NewYorkand Los Angeles - are now run by Indian-descent mayors who are Democratic Socialists. “Los Angeles, I am deeply honoured to be your next Mayor. Thank you to the thousands of people who knocked on doors, sent texts, made phone calls, convinced their neighbours to believe in the promise of this big, beautiful, joyful city that we get to call home,” Raman said in a video posted on X Thursday.

 

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DEMOCRAT Ranjeev Puri has been elected as the Speaker of the Michigan House, the first Indian-American to hold the coveted post. “Today, I’m humbled to be elected by my colleagues as Speaker of the Michigan House,” Puri said in a Facebook post on Thursday. Puri, 42, was elected as Speaker of the Michigan House ofRepresentatives on Thursday. Puri said he looked forward to working with Senate Majority Leader-Elect Darrin Camilleri and Governor-Elect Jocelyn Benson to deliver on the promises made in the run-up to the election. “Thank you to my colleagues for your trust. Excited to get to work,” he said. Puri became the first Sikh American elected to the Michigan House of Representatives in 2020. Born to Punjabi immigrants, Puri was appointed as the leader of the Democratic Party in 2025.

 

 

 

 

INDIA-BORN Democrat Saba Haider has won election to theIllinoisHouseofRepresentatives, becoming the first South Asian woman to be elected to the State’sGeneral Assembly. Haiderwon theNovember 3USmid-termelections from the 84th District with 70.9 per cent of the votes, securing 20,756ballots againsther RepublicanrivalBrianScopa, who received 8,520 votes, or 29.1 per cent. The 84thDistrictcoverspartsofWill,DuPage, Kane and Kendall counties, including Aurora, Naperville,Oswego,Montgomery andBoulder Hill. “We did it! We worked hard for the last 15 months talking to voters in every corner of District 84 to learn what they care about, what they want to see change, and how we can work together to build stronger, more prosperous, andmoreinclusive communities,”Haider said in a social media post on Thursday.

 

 

SCRIPTING history in the US mid-term elections,JyotSinghhasbeen elected to theGeorgia House of Representatives, becoming the first Sikh to serve in the State’s Assembly. Singh, a Yale University alumnus, won his election to represent Georgia House District 97 in the November 3elections,becoming the first Sikh andIndian-Americanin the state’s General Assembly. “We made history for our community here in House District 97,” Singh said in a video posted on X after his election victory. In his vision statement ahead of the polls, Singh had said that growing up in Norcross, Georgia, “I learned that our diversity isn’t just a number-it’s our strength. It’s the intricate fabric of Gwinnett, a complex and colourfuldesignwhereeverystitchmatters.But I also know that for a tapestry to stay strong, every thread must be secure.”