Close X
Wednesday, January 15, 2025
ADVT 
International

'Samosa Caucus' Fails To Increase Its Strength In US Midterm Elections

Darpan News Desk IANS, 07 Nov, 2018 12:49 PM
    The so-called Samosa Caucus - an informal group of the Indian-Americans in the US Congress - failed to increase its strength, even as its all four incumbent members were most likely to be re-elected to the House of Representatives in the highly polarised midterm elections held Tuesday.
     
     
    None of the more than half a dozen new Indian American candidates, many of whom caught national attention by giving a tough fight to their opponents and outraising them in the fund raisers, could make it to the House of Representatives, which is equivalent to Lok Sabha in the Indian parliament.
     
     
    However, Indian-Americans picked up more seats in the state assemblies. The community sent its member Ram Villivalam for the first time to the Illinois Senate and also elected a Muslim Indian-American Mujtaba Mohammed to the North Carolina State Senate.
     
     
    Chicago-born Ram Villivalam, elected unopposed, became the first Asian-American State Senator and the first South Asian-American member of Illinois General Assembly ever.
     
     
    For the first time, more than 100 Indian-Americans had entered the race in this mid-term elections, of which over 50 were on the ballot on Tuesday.
     
     
    Among them 12, including four incumbents, were running for the House and one for the Senate - a record in itself.
     
     
    In the eighth Congressional District of Illinois, Raja Krishnamoorthi defeated his Republican Indian-American rival Jitender Diganvker. Mr Krishnamoorthi would serve second term in the House of Representatives.
     
     
    Pramila Jayapal, the first Indian American to be elected to the House of Representatives in 2016, registered her second consecutive win from the seventh Congressional District of Washington State. In little less than two years, she has emerged nationally as the champion of immigrants, workers and human rights.
     
     
    Ro Khanna is expected to easily sail through the race for the House from the 17th Congressional District of California as he took an impressive lead over his GOP rival Ron Cohen. He was elected for the first time in 2016.
     
     
    Three-term Congressman Ami Bera, the senior-most among lawmakers in the Samosa Caucus, had taken a lead of about 2,500 votes over his Republican rival Andrew Grant, with over 96 per cent of the votes being counted in the seventh Congressional District of California.
     
     
    Notably, his previous three electoral victories came only after recounting of votes which took several weeks before the results were finally declared.
     
     
    Indian-American of Tibetan descent Aftab Pureval, 35, lost to GOP incumbent Steve Chabot. He was the first Democrat to get elected as the Hamilton County Clerk of Courts in more than 100 years.
     
     
    Indian-American woman Anita Malik lost to her Republican incumbent in the sixth District of Arizona, while Hiral Tipirneni was trailing behind GOP rival Debbie Lesko in the early tabulations.
     
     
     
    Former state department diplomat Sri Preston Kulkarni lost to his GOP incumbent Pete Olson from the 22nd Congressional District of Texas.
     
     
    A five-time incumbent, Rep Olson defeated his Indian-American Democratic challenger in the most heated 22nd Congressional District that the opposition had hoped to flip due to a large Asian-American population.
     
     
     
    The 40-year-old relied heavily on his ability to connect with the district's diverse population to give Democrats hope that he could pull off an upset in the district. About 20 per cent of the population in the district is of Asian heritage - more than any other district in Texas.
     
     
    Sanjay Patel, who runs a successful consulting business, lost to Republican Congressman Bill Posey, who has been winning the eighth Congressional District of Florida continuously since 2009.
     
     
    In the first Congressional District of Arkansas, Democratic Chintan Desai lost to Republican incumbent Rick Crawford, while Republican Harry Arora lost to incumbent Jim Himes in the fourth Congressional District of Connecticut.
     
     
    Successful entrepreneur Shiva Ayyadurai, who fought the Massachusetts Senate race as an independent, came a distant third. Democratic leader Elizabeth Warren registered a comprehensive win over her Republican rival Geoff Diehl to re-enter the US Senate.
     
     
    Democratic Nima Kulkarni defeated Joshua Neubert from the GOP to make her maiden entry into the Kentucky Assembly from State District 40. A practicing and recognised lawyer, she owns Indus Law Firm specialising in immigration, employment and business law.
     
     
    Mujtaba Mohammed entered the North Carolina State Senate from the Senate District 38. A former staff attorney at the Council for Children's Rights and assistant public defender, Mr Mohammed defeated Richard Rivette.
     
     
    Incumbent Jay Chaudhuri, an accomplished entrepreneur, was re-elected to North Carolina Senate from the State Senate District 15.
     
     
    Republican Niraj Atani, 27, registered his third consecutive electoral victory from Ohio House 42nd District. He is the youngest Indian-American elected official in the US. He is also the second Indian-American state elected official in Ohio history, and the first Indian-American Republican.
     
     
    "Representing the community in which I was born and raised is an incredible honour. I work hard every day to make it achievable for all Ohioans to have the opportunity to make their American Dream a reality," Mr Atani said in a statement.
     
     
    In Washington State, Manka Dhingra and Vandana Slatter were re-elected for the State Senate. Among others re-elected at the State level are Sabi Kumar in Tennessee and Ash Kalra (California).

    MORE International ARTICLES

    Won't Return To India Till I Feel 'Safe From Unfair Prosecution': Zakir Naik

    Won't Return To India Till I Feel 'Safe From Unfair Prosecution': Zakir Naik
    Controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik, wanted by Indian agencies on charges of inciting youths to take up terror activities, on Wednesday said he will not return to India unless he was assured fair prosecution.

    Won't Return To India Till I Feel 'Safe From Unfair Prosecution': Zakir Naik

    Indian NRI Tojo Mathew Wins 7 Million Dirham Lottery Before Leaving UAE

    Indian NRI Tojo Mathew Wins 7 Million Dirham Lottery Before Leaving UAE
    An Indian man won a 7 million dirham ($1.9 million) lottery for a ticket he purchased at the Abu Dhabi International Airport just before boarding a flight for India, a media report said on Wednesday.

    Indian NRI Tojo Mathew Wins 7 Million Dirham Lottery Before Leaving UAE

    US Seeks To Denaturalise Indian-Origin Man Khaleel Ahmed Convicted Of Terrorism

    US Seeks To Denaturalise Indian-Origin Man Khaleel Ahmed Convicted Of Terrorism
    The US has filed a lawsuit in a federal court in the Northern District of Illinois seeking to revoke the American citizenship of a 37-year-old Indian-origin man convicted of terrorism.

    US Seeks To Denaturalise Indian-Origin Man Khaleel Ahmed Convicted Of Terrorism

    Indian-Origin Lawmakers Ask UK PM To Intervene In British Sikh Jagtar Singh Johal’s Arrest

    Indian-origin MPs are among 70 lawmakers in Britain lobbying Prime Minister Theresa May to intervene at the “highest levels” with the Indian government over allegations of torture against a British Sikh murder suspect lodged in a Punjab jail.

    Indian-Origin Lawmakers Ask UK PM To Intervene In British Sikh Jagtar Singh Johal’s Arrest

    'Leave For India Or Convert To Islam': Afghanistan's Sikhs Weigh Future After Islamic State Terror

    'Leave For India Or Convert To Islam': Afghanistan's Sikhs Weigh Future After Islamic State Terror
    The Sikh community, which now numbers fewer than 300 families in Afghanistan, are split about their future in the country. Some believe they cannot live there anymore while others say they will not be cowed down by the militant Islamic State.

    'Leave For India Or Convert To Islam': Afghanistan's Sikhs Weigh Future After Islamic State Terror

    US: Suneel Gupta, Brother Of CNN's Sanjay Gupta, Running For Congress

    US: Suneel Gupta, Brother Of CNN's Sanjay Gupta, Running For Congress
      Suneel Gupta, an Indian-origin entrepreneur and younger brother of America’s top medical correspondent Dr Sanjay Gupta of the CNN, is seeking to enter the House of Representative from Michigan.

    US: Suneel Gupta, Brother Of CNN's Sanjay Gupta, Running For Congress