Ami Bera
Political observers from the Indian community in the US said the outcomes carried record value on two fronts: Bera extended his standing as the longest-serving Congressman of Indian origin, while Shah became the first Indian origin person elected to Congress from Arizona. His father migrated to the US and later brought his mother, and Bera was born in Los Angeles and raised in Orange County, according to his profile. Ankur Vaidya, chairman of the Board at Federation of Indian Associations (FIA), USA, said the results matter beyond the two races. Earlier, we supported political parties and even did fundraisers, but having candidates is something new that we have seen in the past few years,” he said. “Larger representation will surely help get the community’s voice to the highest political levels for issues affecting the community. ”
Bera traces his roots to Rajkot in Gujarat. He pursued a career in medicine and served as the chief medical officer for Sacramento County before entering politics. “In the past, we also had representatives at state and city levels who have Gujarati roots.
Bera, whose birth name is Amerish, secured his victory on Wednesday from California’s 6th Congressional District, while Shah was declared the winner early Thursday morning local time from Arizona’s 1st Congressional District.