Sunday, December 21, 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

    Fashion Designer Kate Spade Found Dead In New York In Apparent Suicide

    Fashion Designer Kate Spade Found Dead In New York In Apparent Suicide
    Law enforcement officials say New York fashion designer Kate Spade has been found dead in her apartment in an apparent suicide.

    Fashion Designer Kate Spade Found Dead In New York In Apparent Suicide

    Hafiz Saaed To Fight Pakistan Polls From Another Party As His Group Awaits Nod

    Hafiz Saaed To Fight Pakistan Polls From Another Party As His Group Awaits Nod
    Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD), a front for the Lashkar-e- Taiba terrorist group that carried out the deadly 2008 Mumbai attack, launched its political front Milli Muslim League, but it has not been yet registered by the Election Commission of Pakistan.

    Hafiz Saaed To Fight Pakistan Polls From Another Party As His Group Awaits Nod

    Immigration Cap Blocking Indian Doctors To Be Reviewed By UK Minister Sajid Javid

    Immigration Cap Blocking Indian Doctors To Be Reviewed By UK Minister Sajid Javid
    Sajid Javid's remarks came as a new "Scrap the Cap" campaign online petition raised over 1,600 signatures.

    Immigration Cap Blocking Indian Doctors To Be Reviewed By UK Minister Sajid Javid

    Canadian Man, 77, Charged With Trying To Smuggle Over 100 lbs. Of Marijuana In Hockey Bags

    Canadian Man, 77, Charged With Trying To Smuggle Over 100 lbs. Of Marijuana In Hockey Bags
    BUFFALO, N.Y. — Authorities say a 77-year-old man has been arrested for trying to smuggle marijuana across the Canada-U.S. border in hockey bags in the trunk of his car.

    Canadian Man, 77, Charged With Trying To Smuggle Over 100 lbs. Of Marijuana In Hockey Bags

    London Teen Safaa Boular Becomes UK’s Youngest Convicted Female Islamic State Terrorist

    London Teen Safaa Boular Becomes UK’s Youngest Convicted Female Islamic State Terrorist
    In one call Boular complained: "Mate, you guys are partying without me." Rizlaine and Dich carried out reconnaissance of major landmarks in Westminster and bought knives and a rucksack, the court heard.

    London Teen Safaa Boular Becomes UK’s Youngest Convicted Female Islamic State Terrorist

    Virginia Politicians Try To Woo Indian-Americans Ahead Of Mid-term Polls

    Virginia Politicians Try To Woo Indian-Americans Ahead Of Mid-term Polls
    Ahead of mid-term polls in November, political parties in the US state of Virginia are trying to woo Indian-Americans as their increasingly swelling number can play a key role in deciding the election results.

    Virginia Politicians Try To Woo Indian-Americans Ahead Of Mid-term Polls