All four Democratic Indian-American lawmakers re-elected to House of Representatives
Washington: In an impressive show, all the four Indian-American Democratic lawmakers -- Dr. Ami Bera, Pramila Jayapal, Ro Khanna, and Raja Krishnamoorthi -- have been re-elected to the US House of Representatives.
The Indian-American community has emerged as a force to reckon with for the first time in the history of the US presidential election. Both the Democrat and the Republican campaigns had initiated several measures to woo the approximately 1.8 million members of the community who have emerged as a critical voting bloc in the battleground states of Florida, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Texas.
The so-called 'Samosa Caucus', a term coined by Krishnamoorthi for informal grouping of Indian-American lawmakers, might expand with at least one more as physician Dr. Hiral Tipirneni was leading against Republican incumbent David Schweikert from the sixth Congressional district of Arizona when last reports came in.
If elected, Tipirneni, 52, would be the second-ever Indian-American woman to be elected to the House of Representatives. Jayapal, 55, was the first Indian-American woman to be elected to the House of Representatives in 2016.
The 'Samosa Caucus' currently comprises five Indian-American lawmakers, including the four members of the House of Representatives and Senator and Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris, 56.
Raja Krishnamoorthi, 47, easily defeated Preston Nelson, 30, of the Libertarian Party. When last reports came in, he had accounted for nearly 71 percent of the total votes counted.
Ro Khanna, 44, easily defeated fellow Indian-American Ritesh Tandon, 48, of the Republican Party with a margin of more than 50 percentage points. This was his third-consecutive win from the 17th Congressional district of California.
Dr. Ami Bera, 55, the senior-most member of the 'Samosa Caucus', won the seventh Congressional District of California for the fifth consecutive term. When the last report came in, he had established an inaccessible lead by more than 25 percentage points against his Republican rival 65-year-old Buzz Patterson.
Meanwhile, Democratic candidate Sri Preston Kulkarni, 42, lost to his Republican rival Troy Nehls, 52, a popular sheriff and military veteran endorsed by President Donald Trump, in the 22nd Congressional district of Texas.
Republican Manga Anantatmula lost to Democratic incumbent Gerry Connolly in the 11th Congressional District of Virginia. Republican Nisha Sharma from the Republican Party also lost her maiden Congressional attempt. She was defeated by incumbent Mark DeSaulnier from the Democratic Party by more than 50 percentage points.
The House of Representatives is the lower house of the US Congress, with the Senate being the upper house.
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Violence reported in several parts of Kerala after civic poll results
Kozhikode (PTI): Violence erupted overnight at various places across Kerala, particularly in northern districts, following the announcement of local body election results, police said.
In Eramala in Kozhikode district, tension prevailed throughout the night after the Indira Gandhi Bhavan, a Congress office, was allegedly attacked by CPI(M) workers.
According to an FIR registered at Edachery police station, around 200 people marched towards the Congress office carrying dangerous weapons and vandalised the building, causing damage estimated at around Rs five lakh.
A statue of late prime minister Indira Gandhi was also damaged in the attack, police said. Soon after, UDF activists gathered at the spot, further aggravating the situation.
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However, with the deployment of additional police personnel, the situation was brought under control, an officer said.
Police said another violent incident was reported at Marad, where stones were allegedly pelted at a UDF victory procession, leaving several persons injured.
In Sultan Bathery in Wayanad district, police registered a case after a car carrying a UDF activist and his family members was allegedly attacked by around 40 CPI(M) workers, an official said.
Sultan Bathery police also booked UDF activists in a separate incident for allegedly attacking a CPI(M) worker who objected to the bursting of crackers near his house, the officer said.
In Panoor in Kannur district, houses of several Muslim League activists were allegedly attacked by CPI(M) workers. Vehicles parked at the houses were also damaged.
According to Panoor police, the violence broke out after a UDF victory rally was allegedly stopped by CPI(M) workers armed with swords and daggers. Some UDF leaders sustained injuries in the clash.
Clashes were also reported between UDF and LDF workers at Ulikkal in Kannur district, though police intervention brought the situation under control later in the night, an officer in the Ulikkal police station said.
In Bedakom in Kasaragod district, an LDF victory march turned violent after CPI(M) activists allegedly intercepted UDF workers passing through the area. Some policemen who intervened suffered minor injuries, an officer said.
Similar violence was reported from Neyyattinkara in Thiruvananthapuram district following clashes between CPI(M) and BJP workers. Police said workers from both sides sustained minor injuries and were admitted to hospitals. Cases will be registered after formal complaints are received, police said.
