Pramode Mallik
Though Kamala Harris lost the US Presidential Election 2024, the presence of the people of Indian origin increased in Capitol Hill with six Indian Americans being elected to the House of Representatives this election. They make what is called the Samosa Caucus.
What Is Samosa Caucus?
Samosa Caucus represents the group of Indian Americans in the House of Representatives, equivalent to the lower house or the Lok Sabha of the Indian Parliament. Raja Krishnamoorthy, a member of the US House of Representatives from Illinois’s 8th District coined this term.
Members Of Samosa Caucus
Earlier there were five members in the caucus. All five members of the Samosa Caucus- California’s Ami Bera and Ro Khanna, Illinois’s Raja Krishnamoorthy, Michigan’s Sri Thanedar and Washington state’s Pramila Jayapal were re-elected. They welcomed the sixth member, Suhas Subramanyam from Virginia. He is the first desi from the East Coast to win a House race.
If Amish Shah, who is running in Arizona’s 1st Congressional district, wins his election, he will be the seventh member of the Samosa Caucus. He is facing Republican incumbent David Schweikett.
Raja Krishnamoorthy
The members of this group have served on several House committees and held other offices of importance. Raja Krishnamoorthy was in the House select committee on competition with China in the last Congress.
As Democrats have lost the presidential polls as well as the control of the US Senate and they have also lost many seats in the House of Representatives, he may lose his significance. However, he may be on a House committee.
Ro Khanna
Ro Khanna is the co-chair of the Indian caucus. He also has an important voice in the China committee, besides being in the Armed Services and Foreign Affairs Committees. Being a representative from Silicon Valley, he is a key voice in tech policy debates.
Ami Bera
Democrat Ami Bera was in the Indo-Pacific subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. He is also a co-chair of the recently formed bipartisan Quad caucus.
Sri Thanedar
Sri Thanedar has set up the Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh and Jain caucus in the US Congress. He is an important voice on the community issues. Thanedar was a Democrat candidate in the primary for governor of Michigan in the 2018 election.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and attended a master’s program at the University of Bombay before becoming a U.S. citizen in 1988.
Suhas Subramanyam
Suhas Subramanyam has a legal and tech background. He has served as a tech policy advisor in the Barack Obama administration.
Increasing Presence Of Samosa Caucus
It is interesting to note that all Indian-American members of the House are Democrats. However, recent surveys have shown that more and more people of Indian origin are getting attracted by the Republican Party.
The community of Indian Americans is increasing its presence in bodies in school boards, city councils, state houses, and state senates. Though Kamala Harris has lost the US Presidential Election 2024, Indian Americans remain a force to reckon with in US politics.
