Four Indian-Americans win US state and local poll

Ghazala Hashmi, Suhas Subramanyam, Dimple Ajmera and Mano Raju (Picture courtesy: twitter and facebook )

The results of the state and local elections held in the United States on November 5 were announced which had four Indian-Americans winning in local and state elections.

Four India-Americans have come out victorious in state and local elections held on November 5 in the United States among which one of them has even created history. Indian-American Ghazala Hashmi, a former community college professor, has created history by becoming the first Muslim woman to be elected to the Virgnia state Senate. Among the other three, Suhas Subramanyam who has been elected to the Virginia state House of Representative had served as the White House technology policy advisor to former president Barack Obama. The other two are Mano Raju in California and Dimple Ajmera of North Carolina.

It was Democrat Hashmi’s maiden attempt where she defeated incumbent Republican state Senator Glen Sturtevant for Virginia’s 10th Senate District. “This victory is not mine alone. It belongs to all of you who believed that we needed to make progressive change here in Virginia, for all of you who felt that you haven’t had a voice and believed in me to be yours in the General Assembly,” she said after her historic victory.

Even former secretary of state Hilary Clinton had congratulated Hashmi on twitter saying, “I also want to shout out @Hashmi4VA, the first Muslim woman elected to the VA state Senate. As she said yesterday, her victory ‘belongs to all of you who believed that we needed to make progressive change here in Virginia, for all of you who felt that you haven’t had a voice’.”

“After flipping the Senate, I’ll have Democrats by my side to fight, to protect Virginians from the climate crisis and senseless gun violence, and work to expand our access to affordable health care and funding for public education. I can’t wait to work together in the state Senate,” said Hashmi, who had moved to the US from India as a young girl with her family 50 years ago.

Another Indian-American, Suhas Subramanyam from Virginia has also entered the state House of Representatives representing the India-American-dominated district of Loudon and Prince William.

His mother, a native of Bengaluru, had immigrated to the US in 1979 and started a new life as she became a physician and raised a family. Maintaining his commitment to serve the community he said, “My promise to the people of Loudoun and Prince William: I will always listen to you, work tirelessly for you, and do everything I can to empower you. The campaign is over, but my work for you has just begun.”

Two other Indian-Americans also attained victory on the east and west coast of the country. On the east coast, Dimple Ajmera, who had moved to the US when she was 16 and is a former certified public accountant, was re-elected to Charlotte city council in North Carolina. On the west coast, Manohar ‘Mano’ Raju who had created history earlier this year, by becoming the first South-Asian-American to become public defender in the US, won his election to remain San Francisco’s public defender.