Scripting history, India-born Nithya Raman won the Los Angeles mayoral race on Thursday, becoming the first Indian-American elected to lead the city, defeating the incumbent Karen Bass.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor also congratulated Raman and highlighted her Indian roots, saying that two of America’s biggest cities would now be led by people of Indian origin. Bass, 73, was elected in 2022 as the first Black woman mayor in Los Angeles history and entered the role with decades of state and federal government experience.
“I’m sure they will do a far better job than their counterparts back in India, who are reduced to powerlessness by a British-era system that disperses authority and budgets, leaving Mayors here without any real means to govern their cities effectively,” he said. Earlier reporting noted: “I’m deeply honored to be your next mayor,” said India-born Nithya Raman, 45, in a statement on social media.
Earlier reporting noted: Her victory is yet another in the win column for candidates backed by the Democratic Socialists of America, who have propelled a cadre of left-wing leaders into office in cities across the country as well as Congress. Earlier reporting noted: Ms.
She graduated from Harvard University in 2002 and subsequently earned a master’s degree in urban planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), according to student newspaper The Harvard Crimson. Raman was born in Kerala, India, and moved with her family to Louisiana at six, before settling in Burlington, Massachusetts. Before entering politics, Raman worked on homelessness-related issues. Some of Raman’s friends also recalled traveling with her.
“Los Angeles, I am deeply honored to be your next mayor,” she said in a post on X. She served as co-chair of the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council’s Homelessness Committee and co-founded the SELAH Neighborhood Homeless Coalition, according to the City of Los Angeles website. “I don’t just watch Indian classical dance, I watch all kinds of dance,” Raman said. “I’m a dance aficionado, and when I’m not busy on the campaign trail, I try and attend dance programs and performances,” she said, according to The Harvard Crimson. “Her aunts and grandmothers would dress us in the morning in the saris, and we went to temples, and we went to this waterfall, stayed in an ashram for the last week that we were there,” Stephanie C. Stallings said. “I’ve called Councilmember Raman to congratulate her, and I’m committed to a smooth transition,” Bass said in a post on X.
