Know Four Indian-Origin Politicians Running Powerful Nations

In recent news, Tamil-origin economist Tharman Shanmugaratnam won the Singaporean presidential election. The 66-year-old former deputy prime minister and finance minister replaced Halimah Yacob as the city-state's new head of state. 

Shanmugaratnam's election marks another occasion where a person of Indian origin has become the head of state/occupied a powerful position in the government of a foreign country. In fact, more and more politicians of Indian origin are occupying major positions of power in across the globe. 

1. Kamala Harris

   

   
   
   The first female Vice-President of Indian origin in the United States, Harris' mother Shyamalan Gopalan Harris, who's from Tamil Nadu, India, has been an inspiration to her all her life. As a single immigrant mother, Shyamalan Gopalan Harris raised Kamala Harris and her sister all by herself and instilled in them values that stick with them today. Harris's mother passed away from colon cancer at the age of 70 in 2009.
   
   

2. Rishi Sunak

   
   
   
   Rishi Sunak succeeding Liz Truss as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom made him the first Indian-origin PM of the UK. Sunak's grandparents were Indian immigrants who had migrated to East Africa; his mother was born and brought up in Tanzania, and his father was born and brought up in Kenya. His parents migrated to the United Kingdom, where Sunak was born. Sunak's wife  Akshata Murty is the daughter of philanthropist Sudha Murty. 

3. Vivek Ramaswamy

   
   
   
   A potential candidate in the US Presidential elections of 2024, Vivek Ramaswamy is an Indian-American biotechnology entrepreneur who garnered interest as a potential contender in the US presidential race during the GOP primary debate. 

4. Nikki Haley

   
   
   Like fellow candidate Ramaswamy, Nikki Haley also got major press attention during the GOP's first primary debate for the US presidential race for 2024. The former ambassador of the United States to the UN, Haley is from a Sikh background and is a potential Republican candidate for the post of US president in 2024. 

Suggested Reading: Meet Claire Coutinho, The Newest Member Of Rishi Sunak's Cabinet