Suhas Subramanyam joins as the sixth Indian-origin Congressman

The United States voted as many as six Indian Americans to power in the presidential elections heading into its final phase on Wednesday. The ‘Samosa Caucus’ – as the group of Indian-origin senators is informally referred to – would have Democrat-elect Suhas Subramanyam debuting in the Congress already comprising five Indian-origin Americans – Ami Bera, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Ro Khanna, Pramila Jayapal and Shri Thanedar – all re-elected candidates set to continue their stay.  

Suhas Subramanyam  

Democrat (Virginia) 

According to his website profile, Suhas’ mother—a native of Bengaluru—migrated across the Atlantic in the 1970s to unite with his father, who grew up in Chennai and Secundrabad. The objective was to pursue an education and “the American dream.” 

The incoming Congressman has a law degree from Northwestern University. He previously served as a White House technology policy advisor to then-President Obama. In 2019, he was elected to the Virginia General Assembly.  

Ami Bera 

Democrat (California 6^th district) 

A doctor by education, Mr Bera is the longest-serving Indian American in the Congress. According to the profile on his office website, Mr Bera served as the Chief Medical Officer in the Sacramento Country before transitioning into education. Herein, he worked as the clinical professor of medicine and associate dean for admissions and outreach at the University of California (Davis). 

The former medical practitioner failed to secure the opportunity to represent California at the 112th Congress. However, since then, Mr Bera has had an uninterrupted stay in the Congress starting from the 113th Congress to the present 119^th.  

Raja Krishnamoorthi 

Democrat (Illinois)

Born in India in 1973, Mr Krishnamoorthi’s family migrated to New York when he was three months old – again, to pursue the American dream and for his education. His father worked as an engineering professor at Bradley University for more than 40 years.

He graduated from the Princeton University with a degree in mechanical engineering and a certificate from the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs. After which, the Congress set for his fifth consecutive term, attended the Harvard Law School.

Mr Krishnamoorthi also holds the distinction of being the first South Asian American in history to lead a Congressional Committee.

Ro Khanna  

Democrat (California’s 17^th district) 

All set for his fourth consecutive term at the office, the Congressman’s grandfather participated in Mahatma Gandhi’s independence movement and spent several years in jail. His parents later migrated to the United States “to seek opportunity and a better life for their children.” 

His social media bio describes him as “pro-worker, pro-union, pro-family, pro-growth”.  

Before being elected to office for the first time in 2016, Mr Khanna has worked as a lecturer in the Dept of Economics at Stanford University and an Adjunct Professor at Santa Clara Law School. 

Shri Thanedar 

Democrat (Michigan) 

The Karnataka-born Congressperson moved to the United States in 1979 after completing his master’s degree in chemistry from India. He completed his Ph.D. in Chemistry at the University of Akron in 1982. He later became a US Citizen in 1988.  

To make ends meet in his early days in the U.S., Mr Thanedar worked as a janitor and slept in a car. After having worked as a pharmaceutical researcher and then an entrepreneur, he turned to public life service in 2018. He was first elected to represent Michigan at the 118^th Congress.  

Pramila Jayapal 

Democrat (Washington’s 7^th district) 

The first South Asian American woman at the U.S. House of Representatives and the only one of two dozen naturalised citizens in the U.S. Congress, Ms. Jayapal is all set for her 5^th consecutive stay at the office.

The India-born Congresswoman lived in Indonesia and Singapore before moving to the North American country at the age of 16 to attend Georgetown University. She later received her MBA from Northwestern University.

Ms Jayapal has been among the more vocal voices fighting the erstwhile Trump administration’s policies on immigration.