By Parveen Chopra, IANS
New York : An India-born electrical engineer is among four Indian Americans who have been elected to state legislatures and city councils of New Jersey and New York’s Rockland County.
In elections held Tuesday, Upendra Chivukula, an electrical engineer born in Andhra Pradesh, won a seat in the New Jersey assembly for the fourth time in a row.
Sudhanshu Prasad won a seat to the Edison council, Rajiv Prasad retained his seat in the Franklin township council and V.J. Pradhan won from New York’s Rockland County.
In New Jersey, Chivukula, deputy speaker in the assembly and chair of the telecommunications and utilities committee, won on the Democrat ticket from the 17th district, which has a seven percent South Asian population.
Chivukula told IANS: “I am committed to work for the issues facing the state and the individuals I represent.”
For the state senate, another Indian American Seema Singh — contesting as Democrat from the 14th district — lost to Republican Bill Baroni. Singh, a lawyer, worked as consumer advocate for the state and has been president of the Asian Indian Chamber of Commerce. Her campaign hit a snag when her use of a state worker as personal driver was revealed.
Wasim Khan, a Democrat, lost the race to the state senate to Republican Joseph Pennacchio. Khan, with progressive ideas and an abiding interest in public health, had complained to the media that some sections of the Indian community did not support him.
In the state’s city council elections, Sudhanshu Prasad, who practises internal medicine, won a seat to the Edison council in a township with a 30 percent Indian population.
Rajiv Prasad retained his seat in the Franklin township council.
Two under-20 second-generation Indian Americans living in New Jersey attracted attention for contesting council seats, but both lost — Milin Shah in Parsippany and Ytit Chauhan in Atlantic City.
Chauhan features in a documentary about young adults running for office in the US, which has been picked up for distribution by TV anchorman David Letterman’s company.
In New York’s Rockland County, three-time legislator V.J. Pradhan, a dentist, was returned unopposed. But Thomas Ninan, a businessman who served in the US army, lost his bid for a county seat.
In Texas, Manisha Mehta, who runs an insurance company, lost the election for Houston’s District E council.
In California, Shilen Patel, an environmental consultant, lost the ‘At-Large Seat’ in Emeryville council despite a good showing.