Published Nov 05, 2026 | 10:48 AM ⚊ Updated Nov 05, 2026 | 10:48 AM
Nithya Raman emerged as a prominent progressive politician, drawing comparisons with New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
Synopsis: A Malayali girl who left Keralam at age six has risen to become the mayor of Los Angeles, defeating incumbent Karen Bass. Nithya Raman’s journey from childhood in Keralam to the heart of American politics is a story of determination, progressive ideals and a remarkable political ascent. With family roots in Thrissur and Thiruvananthapuram, her victory is also a moment of pride for the Malayali community.
A political journey that began with neighbourhood-level activism has taken 45-year-old Nithya Raman to the highest elected office in Los Angeles, the second-largest city in the US.
Raman, who traces her family roots to Keralam, has won the mayoral contest, defeating incumbent Karen Bass to become the first Indian-American to lead the second-largest city in the United States.
Her victory marks a significant milestone not only in her political career but also for the Malayali community, given her connection to Keralam.
Little known outside political circles until a few years ago, Raman emerged as a prominent progressive politician, drawing comparisons with New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani because of her association with democratic socialism and her focus on housing, homelessness and urban welfare.
Also Read: Socialist Zohran Mamdani to be New York City Mayor
Born on 28 July 1981, Nithya Raman is the daughter of R Venkataraman, who worked with Keltron, and Sudha, an employee of Indian Overseas Bank. Her father hails from Thiruvananthapuram, while her mother is from Thrissur.
Nithya Raman, with her husband Vali Chandrasekaran and their children, Karna and Kaveri.
According to her uncle, Devanarayanan, Nithya was born when her parents were working in Keralam.
Her grandfather, K Ramaiyer, served as a postmaster, and the family once lived in the Kottakkakom area of the capital city.
Venkataraman later moved to Mumbai after leaving Keltron before eventually relocating to the United States. Nithya was around six years old when the family migrated to America.
Before leaving Keralam, she attended pre-primary classes at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. Her uncle remembers her as a talented dancer during her childhood. She has a brother who is also settled in the United States.
Devanarayanan says Nithya has maintained her family connections in Keralam. She last visited Thrissur in 2019 for a family function and was expected to return in November 2026.
Nithya’s academic journey took her to some of America’s leading educational institutions. She graduated in Social Studies from Harvard University before earning a Master’s degree in City Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Her professional interests brought her back to India for a while. In 2010, she co-founded Transparent Chennai, an initiative focused on urban poverty and the difficulties marginalised communities face in accessing basic amenities.
The organisation worked on issues such as sanitation, waste management, drinking water and access to public services. It sought to use research, mapping and citizen participation to make urban governance more responsive to the needs of disadvantaged communities.
She later worked in Delhi and Chennai before moving to Los Angeles in 2013 with her husband, Vali Chandrasekaran, a television writer and producer of Tamil origin.
Her professional experience also included working with organisations in the United States. She served as executive director of Time’s Up Entertainment. This advocacy initiative emerged in the aftermath of the #MeToo movement and campaigned against sexual harassment and discrimination in the entertainment industry.
Also Read: Five-year-old tweet connects NYC mayor-elect Mamdani to Thiruvananthapuram
Nithya’s entry into electoral politics was closely linked to her experience of homelessness in Los Angeles, California.
Nithya Raman’s political rise has drawn comparisons with New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
After settling in the Silver Lake neighbourhood, she became involved in local initiatives to assist people living on the streets. She worked with the neighbourhood council’s homelessness committee and helped establish the SELAH Neighbourhood Homeless Coalition in 2017.
The volunteer-led initiative supported homeless people with food, clothing, healthcare assistance, and efforts to connect them with shelter and housing services.
Her involvement in these activities gradually drew her towards public office. Believing voluntary efforts alone could not address the scale of the city’s housing and homelessness problems, she decided to run in the 2020 Los Angeles City Council election.
She was then relatively unknown in mainstream political circles. However, she defeated incumbent councillor David Ryu, marking the first time in 17 years a challenger unseated a sitting member of the Los Angeles City Council.
During her tenure, Nithya focused on affordable housing, tenants’ rights, homelessness and urban development. She has also advocated stronger protections for renters and greater accountability in the city’s spending on homelessness programmes.
Nithya is associated with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), a progressive political organisation, and is often described as part of the emerging generation of left-leaning Democratic politicians in the United States.
Her political rise has drawn comparisons with Mamdani, particularly because of their shared association with democratic socialism and their emphasis on housing affordability and ordinary residents’ concerns.
Like Mamdani, Nithya has built her political support through grassroots mobilisation and issues affecting urban communities. However, her political journey and policy positions have developed in the context of Los Angeles’s distinct local challenges.
Nithya’s association with the Democratic Socialists of America and her progressive political positions have made her part of a changing generation of Democratic politicians in the United States.
Her mayoral victory over Karen Bass brings that political journey to a new level.
Housing affordability, homelessness, public services and the future of Los Angeles were among the major issues in the contest.
Nithya lives in the Silver Lake neighbourhood with her husband and their twins, Karna and Kaveri.
For Keralam, her rise to the mayor’s office carries a special significance.
A child who left the state at the age of six has gone on to lead one of America’s most prominent cities.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
