Tharman Shanmugaratnam joins growing list of Indian-origin leaders dominating world politics
Tharman Shanmugaratnam winning Singapore's presidential election, he joins a long list of Indian-origin leaders who are dominating politics at important world capitals. Shanmugaratnam, 66, received 70.4 per cent of the votes in the presidential election held on Friday.
«Singaporeans have chosen Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam to be our next president by a decisive margin,» Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said as he congratulated Tharman on Saturday.
He is among several leaders of Indian heritage who have ascended to the highest echelon of public service globally.
His victory signifies the rising influence of Indians across the globe.
In the US, the growing influence of the Indian-American community can be seen in the success of Kamala Harris, who became the first woman and the first coloured Vice President of the country.
She was a senator for California from 2017 to 2021.
Harris, a Democrat, also served as the attorney general of California from 2011 to 2017. She was born to Indian and Jamaican parents in California.
In the crucial midterm elections in November, a record five Indian-American lawmakers from the ruling Democrat Party — Raja Krishnamoorthi, Ro Khanna, Pramila Jayapal, Ami Bera and Shri Thanedar — were elected to the US House of Representatives.
Harmeet Dhillon, a prominent politician in California, recently contested the election for the chairmanship of the Republican National Committee (RNC).
Indian-origin leaders like Nikki Haley, and Vivek Ramaswamy have launched their bid for the White House in 2024.
Rishi Sunak became Britain's first Indian-origin Prime Minister last year.
He is the youngest British prime minister in 210 years. He is also Britain's first Hindu Prime Minister.
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