Nikki Haley’s success sees rise of Indian-American candidates in U.S. politics

WASHINGTON - Indian-American Nikki Haley, who has advanced to a Republican Party runoff in South Carolina’s gubernatorial race, has put the spotlight on the increased involvement of people of Indian descent in U.S. politics.

Haley, born Nimrata Randhawa, is expected to clear the runoff and gain the Republican Party nomination.

She is also being hailed as the favourite to becoming the second Indian-American Governor in U.S., after Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal.

Apart from Haley, six Indian-Americans are running in pursuit of a political office this year.

Surya Yalamanchili in Ohio and Manan Trivedi in Pennsylvania have received the Democratic nomination for their congressional districts, while Raj Goyle in Kansas, Ami Bera in California, Ravi Sangisetty in Louisiana, and Reshma Saujani in New York -all Democrats- are waiting to go through the primary process.

Talking about the evolution of the community, David Wasserman, political analyst for The Cook Political Report, confirmed that it is the most number of viable Indian candidates running for Congress ever.

“It’s a positive sign. Very competitive candidates are running, and even if they don’t win, they’ll be on the map,” The Christian Science Monitor quoted Wasserman, as saying.

A bipartisan group based in Washington, US India Political Action Committee (USINPAC), has also played a big role over the years to encourage Indians to run for local, state, and federal offices.

USINPAC Chairman Sanjay Puri said that the organization puts candidates in contact with big donors in the Indian community and helps them plan fundraisers and events.

He further said that Jindal’s election was a defining moment for Indians, as since then his organization has seen a dramatic increase in Indians wanting to become more politically active. (ANI)