Indian-origin politician Nithya Raman is set to face incumbent mayor Karen Bass in the November election for Los Angeles mayor after overtaking reality television star Spencer Pratt in the race for the second runoff spot.The result was declared nearly a week after voting ended, as California’s lengthy ballot-counting process continued. With Pratt now out of the race, if Raman ultimately wins the November election, she would become the first Indian-American mayor of Los Angeles.Born into a Tamil family in Kerala, Raman moved to Louisiana in the United States at the age of six. Her education took her through two of America’s best-known universities before she entered public service and urban policy work.

Studied political theory at Harvard University

Raman completed her bachelor’s degree in Political Theory through the Social Studies programme at Harvard University.The interdisciplinary programme combines political science, history, economics and philosophy, areas that would later shape her work in public policy and urban governance.She later became a naturalised American citizen at the age of 22.

Master’s degree in urban planning from MIT

After Harvard, Raman earned a master’s degree in Urban Planning from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, commonly known as MIT.Her academic focus on cities, housing and urban development would become a recurring theme throughout her career.

Returned to India and founded Transparent Chennai

After spending several years in the United States, Raman returned to India and founded Transparent Chennai, a research initiative focused on improving sanitation and urban governance in Chennai.The organisation worked on civic issues and local government research, giving Raman experience in city-level policy and public administration.

Career in Los Angeles

Raman moved to Los Angeles in 2013 and worked for the city’s administrative officer.In 2017, she founded the SELAH Neighborhood Homeless Coalition, a nonprofit focused on homelessness outreach in Los Angeles. She later served as executive director of Time’s Up Entertainment.Her work on housing, homelessness and urban policy helped raise her profile in city politics, and she eventually won a seat on the Los Angeles City Council.

Now heading into a runoff election

Raman entered the mayoral race shortly before the filing deadline and has campaigned on expanding affordable housing, reducing homelessness and bringing jobs back to Hollywood.With no candidate securing more than 50% of the vote, Los Angeles will hold a runoff election in November between Raman and Karen Bass.For many voters now learning about the Indian-origin candidate, Raman’s path from Harvard University and MIT to city politics in Los Angeles has become part of the story as she prepares for the biggest election of her political career.