Nithya Raman's Journey From Kerala To Los Angeles Mayor Via Delhi Slums

India-born Nithya Raman has won the Los Angeles mayoral election, defeating incumbent Karen Bass. Raman, who was backed by the Democratic Socialists of America, secured 52.70% of the ballots counted against Bass' 47.30%. She has become the first Indian-American and first South Asian elected to lead the California city. 

Raman's connection to India goes well beyond her family roots. She was born in Thrissur, Kerala, in 1981 and spent part of her early childhood in Thiruvananthapuram before moving to the United States with her family at the age of six. 

Her father, Venkitaraman, reportedly worked with Keltron, while her mother, Sudha Kechery, worked with Indian Overseas Bank.

After studying at Harvard University in 2003, Raman came to Delhi and worked with organisations representing slum dwellers. She also worked closely with residents of Delhi's informal settlements who faced the threat of eviction ahead of the Commonwealth Games.

Her work then took her to South India, where she founded Transparent Chennai in 2010. The initiative used data and mapping to document civic infrastructure and issues affecting low-income communities. Its work included mapping public toilets and bus routes and examining access to basic services in informal settlements.

In 2013, Raman completed a master's degree in urban planning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and moved to Los Angeles in 2013. There, she became involved in the city's homelessness crisis and co-founded the SELAH Neighborhood Homeless Coalition.

Raman's mayoral campaign focused on housing affordability, homelessness, and the delivery of municipal services. 

Los Angeles, I am deeply honored to be your next mayor. I just spoke with Mayor Bass and expressed my deepest gratitude for her leadership and decades of service. Los Angeles would not be the city it is today without her. I love this city. I believe in its people. The work ahead will be hard, and change will take time. And together, we are going to build a future as extraordinary as the city we call home. Thank you, LA. Let's get to work.

— Nithya Raman (@nithyavraman) November 5, 2026

With this victory, America's two largest cities - New York and Los Angeles - are now run by Indian-descent mayors who are Democratic Socialists.