Gen Next on way to conquer political frontiers
Their word will influence US policies, the mixed culture they grew up in will contribute to nation building. Second generation Indian Americans are storming the political bastion and gaining a foothold too!

Last decade has seen a surge in the number of Indian Americans entering mainstream politics as well as governance at various levels. And election of an immigrant’s son to the top post has contributed a big deal in reaffirming the faith of thousands - who migrated to the US with a few dollars in pockets and a dream of a better tomorrow - in American ideals of individual freedom and democracy. A generation later, these Americans of Indian origin are deeply involved in changing the way things operate from the education system in local schools to health care provided to senior citizens by the state and US’ war policies in the Congress. This young breed of wannabe politicians and bureaucrats have moved a step further from mobilizing the resources for Presidential campaigns, for instance South Asians For Obama (2008) and South Asians for Kerry (2004) to jumping into the electoral fray themselves. Every other week the media is abuzz with news of Indian American candidates filing their candidature for wide ranging positions be it of State Comptroller, District Attorney, State Representative, Attorney General or the U.S. House of Representatives.

War veteran, primary care doctor and Berks County, Pennsylvania native, Dr. Manan Trivedi announced his candidacy for the U.S. House of Representatives in the 6th Congressional District of Pennsylvania recently. Retired as a Lt. Commander in the U.S. Navy, Trivedi made his campaign for the 2010 Democratic nomination official.

Trivedi’s roots in the district are deep. He grew up in Fleetwood, Berks County and then went on to become an Iraq war veteran by serving as the Battalion Surgeon for a Marine Corps Infantry Battalion in the 5th Regiment. For his service, Lt. Commander Trivedi earned the Combat Action Ribbon, the Navy Commendation Medal and his unit was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation.

After his tour of service, Trivedi returned home to the district and he now resides in Reading, where he works as a board-certified internal medicine doctor at Reading Hospital.

"I was raised in this district by working- class parents and experienced what many families are going through now with the loss of their jobs and their pensions. But I also learned the importance of serving others and working hard for things that matter. These principles have guided my career, from the battlefield to the emergency room," said Trivedi.

"I am now prepared to serve my community in a new capacity: in the halls of Congress. We have some big challenges facing our nation. Our healthcare system is broken, we’re engaged in two wars and our economy continues to struggle. I know how to get things done under extremely difficult situations and my direct experience with these challenges will give the working families in my district a strong and credible voice in Washington," Trivedi concluded.

Manan and his wife Surekha have been married for five years, after meeting in college. Trivedi’s recent involvement in Democratic politics was as a Healthcare Advisor to the Obama for America Campaign.

Trivedi’s parents, immigrants from India, worked at the old Red Cheek apple juice factory.

Manan Trivedi’s passion for community service began at a very early age. As a young boy, he won a national contest for launching a healthy eating initiative. In college, he received a community service award for his work with HIV/AIDS patients. As a physician, he has treated the poor and uninsured in the inner city. After his service in Iraq, Trivedi received a Masters degree in Health Policy. He drew on his experience with combat medicine to become one of the early researchers to investigate the unique mental health issues affecting our troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Trivedi went on to serve as health policy advisor to the Navy Surgeon General and was an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences.

Some days ago, a Republican New Yorker Ashok Chandra, 30 won his primary race. He hopes to represent the 4th District in Manhattan. The area Ashok wants to represent is lower Manhattan where the former World Trade Center site was located. Born in Weslaco, Texas in 1979, Ashok left for Austin, TX in 1997 to attend the University of Texas where he majored in Biochemistry and English. He moved to New York City in 2003 to attend Fordham University’s School of Law.

After graduation, Ashok practiced law, specializing in Patent and Telecommunications Law before leaving in June of 2008 to work for Bloomberg LLP. At Bloomberg, he works on developing new products.

Growing up, Ashok always wanted to move to New York City and be part of "the city that never sleeps" and compete in what his father always referred to as "the most competitive place on Earth." As a councilman, Ashok wants to help ensure that the promise of New York City is alive and well for generations to come. He aims to promote small businesses. "It is unimaginable that so many empty storefronts are starting to line our streets. Small business owners are the backbone of our economy. I propose cutting the unincorporated business tax and cutting the "red tape" associated with small business development," he says. Expanding Charter Schools is next on his agenda. "Of the many fine New York City public schools, the City’s Charter Schools are the most successful. These independent public schools are providing children and their parents with a greater degree of educational choice, at a lower cost than traditional public schools. I will work to expand the number of these schools so that every child, from every background, will have the opportunity to receive an excellent education at minimal taxpayer expense."

Ashok’s father came to New York City from Bangalore in 1972. In New York, he met his future wife, Mae Penalver Chandra and they moved to Texas in 1977 where his father began his medical practice in a largely Indian medical community.

Another Indian American Democratic legislator, Raj Goyle from Kansas state will run for the US House of Representatives next year. If elected, he would be the third Indian American to be elected to the US Congress after Dilip Singh Saund and Bobby Jindal. "I am running because too many Kansas families and businesses are struggling right now. We need strong, independent leadership to tackle these challenges," Goyle said.

"I was raised to believe in Kansas values of hard work, common sense, optimism and community. I am determined to bring those principles to Washington on behalf of the people of the 4th District."

Said to be a young emerging Democrat, Goyle had shocked the Kansas political establishment when he beat three-term incumbent Republican State Rep. Bonnie Huy in 2006. Goyle retained the seat in the 2008 elections with 67 percent votes. Goyle, who grew up in Wichita, Kansas, also teaches at Wichita State University. His parents migrated to the US from India.

Mohan Manian

Mohan Manian, an Indian American business owner will contest for a state representative seat in the Illinois Assembly next year. A Republican, Manian has announced his candidacy for the seat of State Representative for District 59, which is currently vacant after its incumbent Kathy Ryg resigned last month. Manian, who came to the US in 1989 from India said his priority would be to make Illinois more business-friendly and to address the state’s financial crisis. "Our leaders have lost the trust of our people but still hold on to the power through backroom deals and corruption. They have failed us ethically and economically and I am keen to restore Mohan Manian Nikki Haley Randhawa public faith in Illinois," said Manian. He said if elected, he would focus on balancing the state’s budget without cutting essential services for the disabled or raising taxes.

Nikki Haley Randhawa

Former Deputy Illinois Treasurer Raja Krishnamoorthi and a candidate for the Illinois State Comptroller has recently received the endorsement from President Barack Obama for the position. Krishnamoorthi, 36, a lawyer and policy expert, Krishnamoorthi worked on President Obama’s successful 2004 campaign for the U.S. Senate, serving first as issues director and then as a senior adviser. Krishnamoorthi also advised Obama during his presidential campaign and his 2000 congressional campaign. Krishnamoorthi would become the first Asian American to hold any elected state office in Illinois. As Deputy Treasurer of Illinois, Krishnamoorthi helped bring significant reforms and oversaw the custody and administration of billions of dollars in state funds. Previously, Krishnamoorthi served as a Special Assistant Attorney General, helping to establish an anti-corruption unit. As a board member and audit committee chairman of the Illinois Housing Development Authority, he helped thousands of Illinois families find affordable housing.

Raja’s parents are immigrants from India and brought their three month-old son with them to Buffalo, New York, where Raja’s father attended graduate school in engineering. Later, the family moved to Peoria when Raja’s father received an offer to teach at Bradley University. Some 30 years later, Raja’s father remains on the faculty of Bradley University and his parents live in the same home where Raja was raised.

Raja, 35, is married to Priya, a doctor, and they have two sons: Vijay, 3, and Vikram, born in May 2009. They live in the Northwest Chicago suburb of Hoffman Estates.

Nikki Haley Randhawa, one of the strongest fiscal conservatives in state government of South Carolina, was first elected to represent the 87th District in Lexington County in 2004, when, as a virtual unknown she beat the longest serving state legislator in a Republican primary. In 2008 Representative Haley was sent back to the statehouse with 83 percent of the vote – the highest percentage earned by any lawmaker facing a contested South Carolina election that year.

Her time in Columbia has been marked by conservative leadership and an unwavering commitment to the taxpayers’ bottom line. She has fought wasteful spending, pushed for smaller, more efficient government and led the fight for the accountability and transparency in the Legislature.

For her efforts to cut taxes and slow the growth of government spending, Nikki was named "Friend of the Taxpayer" (2009) by the S.C. Association of Taxpayers and a "Taxpayer Hero" (2005) by Gov. Mark Sanford. She has lifetime "A" ratings from the South Carolina Club for Growth, the Palmetto Family Council, and the National Rifle Association. Nikki has also received the Palmetto Leadership Award from the S.C. Policy Council for her expertise on policy matters and the Strom Thurmond Excellence in Public Service and Government Award from the S.C. Federation of Republican Women for the outstanding constituent service she provides to her district.

Born in Bamberg, S.C., the daughter of Indian Sikh immigrants, Nikki’s first job was keeping the books for her family’s clothing store – at the age of 13. She went on to graduate from Clemson University with a B.S. degree in accounting and following her graduation worked as Accounting Supervisor for the Charlotte, N.C. based corporation FCR, Inc. and five of its subsidiaries. Nikki then went back to the family business where she helped oversee its growth into a multi-million dollar operation. Since 2008 she has served as the Assistant Executive Director of the Lexington Medical Foundation.

[ BY LAVANYA GARIKINA ]