New York, November 4, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Pia Dandiya, the daughter of an immigrant doctor from Rajasthan, has been elected to the US House of Representatives from Florida, defeating Republican candidate Casey Askar and securing a victory for the Democratic Party despite a controversial constituency redrawing exercise.
Dandiya won 51.9 per cent of the votes in Tuesday’s midterm election. Her victory makes her the ninth person of Indian origin to be elected to the US House, following in the footsteps of Dalip Singh Saund, who entered Congress in 1956.
Her win also represents a setback for efforts to redraw Florida’s congressional map in a manner expected to improve Republican electoral prospects. Dandiya’s constituency, located near President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate but not including it, was remapped across parts of Palm Beach County and three other counties. The changes were intended to dilute Democratic strength in the district.
The long-serving Democratic representative, Lois Frankel, moved to a neighbouring constituency, leaving the seat open for Dandiya.
Dandiya has built her career around education and public service. While studying at Harvard University, she volunteered in New Delhi during summer breaks, teaching English to underprivileged children. She later joined Teach For America, working as a teacher in underserved communities.
She went on to establish and lead a school in New York’s Harlem neighbourhood, becoming one of the youngest school principals in the country. Although 86 per cent of its students came from disadvantaged backgrounds, all students who completed the school went on to college, according to her campaign.
She subsequently received a White House Fellowship and worked at technology company Apple, collaborating with state governments on modernising education, healthcare and public systems.
In her campaign, Dandiya highlighted the influence of her parents, saying they taught her to “leave the world better than I found it”. She pledged to focus on lowering healthcare costs, protecting Social Security and Medicare, banning congressional stock trading and reducing taxes for middle-class families.
She described her congressional bid as an effort to defend democratic ideals and hold accountable those who threaten the country’s core values.
Dandiya also said she had raised $3.9 million from 24,000 donors, with 93 per cent contributing $100 or less, highlighting the grassroots backing for her campaign.
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