Nithya Raman, Saikat Chakrabarti Await Results As California Vote Count Continues

India-West News Desk

CALIFORNIA– California election officials continue to count ballots from the June 2 primary election, leaving the outcomes of races involving Indian American candidates Nithya Raman and Saikat Chakrabarti unresolved.

In Los Angeles, Raman is seeking a place in the November mayoral runoff. In San Francisco, Chakrabarti is seeking to advance in the race to succeed retiring Rep. Nancy Pelosi in California’s 11th Congressional District. Preliminary returns show Chakrabarti running third as ballots continue to be counted.

California’s counting process typically extends beyond Election Day as officials process mail-in, drop-off, and provisional ballots.

Raman, who has served on the Los Angeles City Council since 2020, campaigned on housing affordability, homelessness, economic inequality, and reviving the region’s entertainment industry.

In a June 2 post on X, Raman criticized Mayor Karen Bass’s leadership.

“Los Angeles deserves a mayor that doesn’t drag their feet,” Raman wrote.

“Karen Bass promised change. Instead, Angelenos got delays,” she added. Raman said Los Angeles needs “a mayor that acts with urgency, builds a strong team, and gets things done.”

Chakrabarti, a former chief of staff to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and a veteran of Sen. Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign, centered his campaign on housing affordability and what he described as the need for a new generation of Democratic leadership.

On Election Day, he highlighted his campaign’s voter outreach efforts in a post on X.

“Our volunteers and field organizers are currently knocking 5,000 doors an hour to make sure everyone votes today,” Chakrabarti wrote. “This is the biggest field campaign in San Francisco history.”

In remarks to supporters on election night, Chakrabarti said his campaign reflected a desire for generational change in Democratic politics.

“When we first started this campaign, it was just a couple of us who had the crazy idea of challenging Nancy Pelosi,” he said. “We need a new generation of candidates powered by people and go to D.C. and not just fight Trump but build a society that works for everybody, not just the richest few.”

Raman and Chakrabarti are awaiting updated vote counts that will determine whether their campaigns advance to the next stage.