Nithya Raman has won the Los Angeles mayoral election, defeating incumbent Mayor Karen Bass.
Mathrubhumi reported this, citing figures from the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder.
The vote counts were close but clear. Mathrubhumi said Raman received 405,193 votes, while Bass received 379,069.
The reports give slightly different vote shares. Mathrubhumi said Raman got 51.67 per cent, and Bass got 48.33 per cent.
Daily Jagran and Lokmat Times gave Raman 51.1 per cent.
Raman is set to become the first Indian-origin mayor of Los Angeles.
Daily Jagran also said she would be only the second woman to hold the city's top elected post.
Key points
- Raman, 45, defeated incumbent Karen Bass in the Los Angeles mayoral race.
- Reports differ on the vote share, with 51.67 per cent and 51.1 per cent.
- She is set to be the first Indian-origin mayor of Los Angeles.
- Homelessness, public safety and housing were the main campaign issues.
So who is Nithya Raman?
Raman was born in Kerala in 1981. She moved to the United States with her family when she was six years old.
She became a US citizen at 22.
She graduated from Harvard University and later earned a master's degree in urban planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, or MIT.
Before entering electoral politics, she founded Transparent Chennai.
This is an urban research group that works on civic infrastructure and public amenities.
After moving to Los Angeles in 2013, she helped set up the SELAH Neighborhood Homeless Coalition.
She was first elected to the Los Angeles City Council in 2020.
- 1981Raman was born in Kerala. She later moved to the United States with her family at six.
- 2013After moving to Los Angeles, she helped set up the SELAH Neighborhood Homeless Coalition.
- 2020She was first elected to the Los Angeles City Council.
Graphic: News Anek, from the facts in this report
Why does this matter for people in India?
Raman is not the first Indian-origin leader to run a major US city.
Daily Jagran named other leaders with Indian or South Asian roots, including Zohran Mamdani in New York City.
The same report also named Aftab Pureval in Cincinnati, Sam Joshi in Edison, and Danny Avula in Richmond.
For many people in India, such wins are followed closely.
They show how Indian-origin politicians are rising in American cities.
What did voters care about most?
A poll by Berkeley IGS and the Los Angeles Times, held from October 19 to 25, offers some clues.
About 40 per cent of likely voters wanted fewer homeless encampments.
About 30 per cent named public safety and affordable housing as major concerns.
Daily Jagran said Bass faced criticism over the Palisades wildfire and rising homelessness.
Lokmat Times, citing a syndicated feed, said analysts were cautious and called the race still tight.
The sources do not say when Raman will take office.
