Malayalees among top Indian-origin women in global arena

INDIAN-origin women are a force to be reckoned with on the global political landscape. With the emergence of Kamala Harris a US presidential candidate, who is of Indian origin and Jamaican descent, there are opportunities galore globally for dynamic women irrespective of their caste, creed and colour.

While Kamala has Tamil Nadu origin where her mother is from, former UN ambassador and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley's parents are Sikhs who first emigrated to Canada and from there to South Carolina. 

On February 14, 2023, Haley formally announced her candidacy, becoming the second major candidate to enter the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, following Trump's earlier announcement. Notably, she had previously stated she would not run if Trump also sought the nomination. 

Haley's candidacy marked a historic moment as she became the fifth woman and the first woman of colour to contend for the Republican presidential nomination.
Despite being considered a serious contender for the nomination, Haley faced an uphill battle against Trump and withdrew.

She also has the distinction of being elected twice as the governor of South Carolina, the first woman and the first non-White person to head the state, and the first Indian American to be a member of the US cabinet when she was the permanent representative to the United Nations, a post with cabinet rank.

Kamala Harris made her mark as California's attorney general lofting her to the Senate where her work got her national recognition, paving the way to the second most powerful job in the US, the vice president.

She is the first woman to become vice president and she was also the first person of Indian descent elected to the US Senate.

These two women have the highest profiles in US politics.

Usha Chilukuri Vance, born on January 6, 1986, is an American lawyer. She is the wife of JD Vance, Ohio's junior Senator and Donald Trump's running mate in the 2024 presidential election. 

The parents of Usha Vance moved to the US from Hyderabad in the late 1970s and now teach engineering and molecular biology in San Diego.

Following are the top most influential Indian-origin women in global politics.

Pramila Jayapal: Pramila Jayapal is a Democratic US House of Representatives member from Washington's 7th Congressional District. 

A former member of the Washington State Senate, she is the first Indian American woman to hold both offices. 

Jayapal was born in 1965 in a Malayalee family in Chennai to Maya Jayapal, a writer, and Jayapal Menon, a marketing professional. She immigrated to the US in 1982 at the age of 16 to attend college.

Aruna Miller: Aruna Miller, born in 1964 in Hyderabad, is the 10th Lt Gov of Maryland, serving since 2023. Miller is a civil engineer and former member of the Maryland House of Delegates. Her family came to the US when she was seven years old.

Kamalpreet Khera: Kamalpreet Khera is a prominent Canadian politician who has served as Canada’s Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities since 2023.

Prabhjote Kaur "Jyoti" Gondek: Prabhjote Kaur "Jyoti" Gondek has served as the 37th mayor of Calgary since October 2021. She was born to Sikh parents in London and immigrated to Canada with her parents at the age of four.

Zaneta Mascarenhas: Zaneta Mascarenhas is an influential Australian politician. She was elected to the Australian House of Representatives in the 2022 federal election for the Division of Swan. Mascarenhas was born in 1980 in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, to Indian immigrant parents of Goan descent who migrated from Kenya.

Anita Anand: Anita Anand, born in 1972 to Indian parents from Tamil Nadu and Punjab, serves as Canada’s President of the Treasury Board. Anand also served as the country’s Defence Minister.

Priyanca Radhakrishnan: Priyanca Radhakrishnan has the distinction of being New Zealand's first Indian-origin minister. Born in Chennai in 1979 to Malayalee parents and educated in Singapore, she joined the Labour Party in 2006. She also served as a Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector from 2020 to 2023.

Shivani Raja: She was born to Indian parents in 1994. At just 29 years old, Shivani Raja became the first Conservative MP to win the Leicester East seat in the UK Parliament in 37 years. Swearing her allegiance to the Bhagavad Gita, Shivani’s victory is historic, as the constituency hadn’t seen a Tory elected in nearly four decades.

THE WMV is proud of their coveted achievements and hopes that the US will get an Indian-origin woman as its president.