WASHINGTON: The victory of eight South Asian-origin candidates in the US elections reflects the growing political influence of the region in US politics.
Two Pakistani-American Democratic candidates, Salman Bhojani and Suleman Lalani, have secured their second consecutive term in the Texas State House elections to mark history.
Bhojani entered the assembly in 2022 and has focused on key issues like education, healthcare, and business development while advocating for immigrant rights. His success is seen as a major milestone in South Asian American political representation.
Meanwhile, Suleman Lalani successfully defended his seat in the Texas State Assembly, against Republican Lee Simmons. However, Republican Aaron Bashir, the only Pakistani-American candidate running for Congress, lost in Pennsylvania.
The success of South Asian candidates in the US polls reflects an increasing trend of South Asian Americans actively taking part in US politics.
Six Indian Americans have also won the elections to the House of Representatives. Lawyer Suhas Subramanyam got elected from Virginia and the entire East Coast. He is the incumbent senator from Virginia State.
Shri Thanedar was also re-elected for the second consecutive term from the 13th Congressional District of Michigan. Raja Krishnamoorthi won the seventh Congressional District of Illinois for the fifth consecutive term.
While Ro Khanna who represents the seventeenth Congressional District of California and Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, who represents the seventh Congressional District of Washington State also won their seats.
A physician, Dr Ami Bera is the senior-most Indian American Congressman representing the sixth Congressional District of California since 2013. He is re-elected for the seventh consecutive term.
In Arizona, Shah from the Democratic Party won his seat against the Republican Party’s David Schweikett.
While six Bangladeshi-origin candidates also ran for the US Senate elections and out of these, five are already elected representatives and are standing for re-election.
It is pertinent to mention that Pakistani Americans are the second-largest South Asian American group and the seventh-largest Asian American ethnic group in the US with a population of approximately 700,000. They are also one of the largest Muslim-American ethnic groups in the country.
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While Indian Americans with a population of approximately 5.2 million are the second-largest immigrant community in the United States. Around 2.6 million Indian Americans were eligible to vote.
Republican Donald Trump has won the US presidential race, US media announced Wednesday, beating Kamala Harris to complete a stunning political comeback.
Earlier, Donald Trump claimed victory and vowed to “heal” the country Wednesday as results put him on the verge of beating Kamala Harris in a superb White House comeback.
