Indian-origin Nithya Raman elected Los Angeles mayor

Indian-origin Nithya Raman has been elected as the new mayor of the American city of Los Angeles. She will become the 44th mayor and the first South Asian American to reach this position. Forty-five-year-old Nithya Raman defeated incumbent mayor, 73-year-old Karen Bass, in the elections held on November 3. Bass had conceded defeat on Thursday.

Nithya Raman currently represents District 4 of the Los Angeles City Council. An urban planner by profession, Raman has completed her graduation from Harvard University and post-graduation from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Following this result, the mayors of America's two largest cities, New York and Los Angeles, are now both of South Asian origin. New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani assumed office in January 2026.

Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan has congratulated Nithya Raman on this victory. Writing on the social media platform X, he stated that this victory is historic and a source of inspiration for the Malayali community worldwide, including the people of Kerala.

Nithya Raman's background is from Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, and she moved to America with her family at the age of six. Her relatives living in Thiruvananthapuram have expressed happiness over this victory. Her cousin Vidya Shankar and aunt Vanaja Shankar said that the family is proud of her huge success.

Key developments

• Nithya Raman elected 44th mayor of Los Angeles
• Became the first South Asian American to reach this post
• Achieved victory by defeating incumbent mayor Karen Bass