At least three Indian-Americans have won from their respective states in the Assembly elections that were held along with the general elections this week. San Jose Councilman Ash Kalra of Democratic party pulled off an upset win over his party colleague Madison Nguyen in the 27th Assembly District of California.

Kalra has become the first Indian-American to be elected in the California Assembly election receiving 52.4 per cent of the total votes polled as against 47.46 per cent of Nguyen. He was also the first Indian-American to be elected to the San Jose City Council.

25-year-old Niraj Atani of the Republican Party was re-elected to the 42nd Assembly District of Ohio with a massive difference of more than 25 percentage points. “I look forward to returning to the Ohio House of Representative as its only Indian American member, and continuing my fight for the American Dream,” Atani said.

In North Carolina, Democratic candidate Jay Chaudhuri was re-elected for the state Senate by a voting margin of 30 per cent. Chaudhuri’s parents settled in Fayetteville in 1972, where his father worked at the Veteran Administration Hospital before entering into private practice.