US' 2 Biggest Cities Now Have Indian-Origin Mayors

New Delhi: The results of US midterm elections have been disheartening for President Donald Trump and Republicans as they now have no control either in the Senate or House of Representatives. Though US politics is all about the US, this time it has quite a few Indian touches. The latest being Nithya Raman, who has won the mayoral polls of Los Angeles.With her win, two of the largest cities in the United States are now being governed by Indian-origin leaders. The other being Zohran Mamdani, who emerged victorious in New York's mayor elections last year despite a heavy campaign by President Donald Trump and Republicans against him.Both Nithya and Mamdani are backed by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).Acknowledging the fact, Congress' Member of Parliament Shashi Tharoor shared a post on X, "A daughter of Thiruvananthapuram, @nithyavraman, is the new Mayor of Los Angeles! And with @ZohranKMamdani in New York, America's two biggest cities will be run by people of Indian origin!"Nithya Raman And Her Los Angeles TriumphA little-known Los Angeles City Council member, Kerala-born Nithya Raman defeated Mayor Karen Bass, and has become the first Indian-American elected to lead the city. She will also be the first South Asian mayor of Los Angeles.The latest Los Angeles County election returns showed Raman with 460,772 votes, or 52.70 per cent, against Bass's 413,519 votes, or 47.30 per cent.Bass conceded defeat in a post on X and said, "I've called Councilmember Raman to congratulate her, and I'm committed to a smooth transition."Meanwhile, Raman thanked the people of the city for choosing her. "Los Angeles, I am deeply honored to be your next mayor," she said on X.Los Angeles, I am deeply honored to be your next mayor. I just spoke with Mayor Bass and expressed my deepest gratitude for her leadership and decades of service. Los Angeles would not be the city it is today without her. I love this city. I believe in its people. The work ahead will be hard, and change will take time. And together, we are going to build a future as extraordinary as the city we call home. Thank you, LA. Let's get to work.— Nithya Raman (@nithyavraman) November 5, 2026"I just spoke with Mayor Bass and expressed my deepest gratitude for her leadership and decades of service. Los Angeles would not be the city it is today without her. I love this city. I believe in its people. The work ahead will be hard, and change will take time. And together, we are going to build a future as extraordinary as the city we call home. Thank you, LA. Let's get to work," she added.Nithya Raman's entire campaign centred around improving city services, affordability and homelessness. Her commitments of pothole-free roads; street light repairs garnered praise and apparently turned into numbers during the elections.She was born in Thrissur, Kerala, and moved to Louisiana in US when she was six years old. She moved to Los Angeles in 2013. Nithya graduated from Harvard and earned a master's degree in urban planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.She previously worked on homelessness and co-founded the SELAH Neighborhood Homeless Coalition.Her husband Vali Chandrasekaran is a TV screenwriter and producer. He is known for his work on "Modern Family" and "30 Rock."Read More | "Many Jews No Longer Feel Safe In New York": Netanyahu Slams Mamdani At UNWhen Mamdani's Victory Made HeadlinesSince the campaigning phase during New York City mayoral polls, reports and surveys showed Indian-American Zohran Mamdani the clear favourite of voters. The 35-year-old based his campaign on affordability with a progressive tone to woo young voters, working-class families and different communities.From freezing rent to making city buses free for children, Mamdani focused on symbolising himself as an option of generational change. His victory made him New York City's first Muslim and Asian-American mayor.Trump, during the entire election campaign, called out Mamdani, saying even saying that he would be a better option than Mamdani. However, he did have a change of tone when he met the New York mayor after the latter won polls. Trump called him "nice gentleman".But in April this year, Trump slammed Zohran Mamdani for "destroying" the New York City. "Sadly, Mayor Mamdani is DESTROYING New York! It has no chance!" the US President wrote on social media.As for Los Angeles, the voters this year followed the New York path, though Nithya Raman did not have as much limelight as Mamdani, but her victory has definitely made history in US politics.Zohran Mamdani's parents are from India. His mother Mira Nair, famous filmmaker, who is Punjabi Hindu born in India. His father Mahmood Mamdani, is a Gujarati Muslim born in Mumbai. They moved to East Africa and later to New York when Mamdani was seven.Now as Republicans try to handle the loss and plan how to move ahead with Trump's agenda for the remaining two years of his government, many Indian-Americans who have won the midterms are about to begin their governance.(With agency inputs)