Indian American Bhavini Patel loses Pennsylvania primary election

Indian American Bhavini Patel faced defeat in the Democratic primary Congressional race from US state of Pennsylvania on Tuesday night, putting up a strong challenge against the incumbent.

Incumbent Congresswoman Summer Lee emerged victorious in the primary race for the 12th Congressional District of Pennsylvania, securing 59 per cent of the votes compared to Patel's 41 per cent.

Both President Joe Biden and his Republican opponent Donald Trump clinched their respective presidential primaries, with Biden securing 94 per cent of the Democratic votes and Trump receiving 80 per cent from Republicans.

Surprisingly, Indian American Nikki Haley, who withdrew from the race in March, garnered nearly 20 per cent of the Republican votes in the Pennsylvania presidential primary.

Patel, a Biden supporter, contested against Lee, a first-time lawmaker known for her criticism of the president and support for Palestine in its conflict with Israel.

"Her (Patel's) loss Tuesday shows that a progressive candidate like Ms. Lee can still carry districts like Pittsburgh, despite Ms. Patel and her supporters claiming that the incumbent's progressive views and alignment with the 'Squad' in Congress did not accurately reflect the politics of the area," said the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette after the election results were announced.

The Squad is an informal group of progressive Congress members, which includes figures like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, and Ayana Pressley.

Originally from Gujarat in India, Patel's mother immigrated to the United States.

"She came to this country with very little, which I think is a story that resonates with many people in the Indian diaspora here in this country. When she came here, she raised my brother and I as a single parent. We moved around quite a bit, to various different cities, and she worked various odd jobs, washing dishes in the restaurant industry, working in the motel industry," Patel said in an earlier interview.

(PTI)