From Delhi’s Slum Protests to Los Angeles Mayor: The Making of Nithya Raman

Nithya Raman’s journey from working alongside slum communities in Delhi to reaching the highest elected office in Los Angeles is a story shaped by urban planning, grassroots activism and local governance.

The Kerala-born Indian-American politician made headlines on November 5, 2026, after her historic breakthrough in the Los Angeles mayoral election. At 45, Raman emerged from a career built around housing, homelessness and civic accountability to become the city's first mayor of South Asian descent.

Before entering electoral politics, Raman had worked with communities facing eviction in India, developed civic-data initiatives in Chennai and helped organise support for people experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles.

From Kerala to the United States

Nithya Raman was born in 1981 in Thrissur, Kerala. Her father, Venkitaraman, worked at KELTRON, a state-run public enterprise, while her mother, Sudha Kechery, worked with India Overseas Bank.

The family later moved to the United States when Raman was around six years old. They initially settled in Burlington, Massachusetts.

Raman went on to study social studies at Harvard University, where she met her future husband, Vali Chandrasekaran, a television screenwriter. She later pursued a master's degree in urban planning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Her education and early experiences would eventually shape her interest in how cities are planned, how public services are delivered and how government decisions affect vulnerable communities.

Delhi's Slum Communities and the 2010 Commonwealth Games

After graduating from Harvard, Raman returned to India and began working with non-governmental organisations supporting slum dwellers in Delhi.

Her work coincided with preparations for the 2010 Commonwealth Games, when redevelopment and infrastructure projects led to concerns about the eviction of people living in informal settlements.

Raman worked with community organisations opposing forced evictions and demanding access to basic services. The experience brought her into direct contact with the challenges faced by low-income residents when urban development takes place without adequate protection for their homes and livelihoods.

The work also strengthened her interest in urban governance and the relationship between public policy and everyday life.

Transparent Chennai: Using Data for Civic Change

In 2010, Raman founded the nonprofit initiative Transparent Chennai with fellow researchers and activists.

The organisation used data and mapping to highlight gaps in public services, particularly in poorer and often undocumented neighbourhoods. Its work included mapping public toilets, documenting bus routes and identifying areas that lacked basic sanitation facilities.

The initiative sought to make urban planning more accountable by giving residents and community organisations evidence to demand better services.

It also campaigned against policies that could lead to the displacement of slum communities. The experience became an important foundation for Raman's later work in Los Angeles.

Moving to Los Angeles and Taking Up Homelessness

Raman returned to Los Angeles in 2013. She initially worked as a management trainee in the city's administrative system and examined public spending on homelessness.

Her work brought her closer to the challenges of homelessness and the gap between public expenditure and services reaching people living on the streets.

In 2017, she co-founded the SELAH Neighborhood Homeless Coalition, a grassroots organisation supporting people experiencing homelessness through services such as food, clothing, healthcare, housing and employment assistance.

She also became involved in neighbourhood-level advocacy, including work with the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council's homelessness committee.

Entering Electoral Politics in 2020

Raman's involvement in community activism eventually led her to contest local elections.

In 2020, she ran for a seat on the Los Angeles City Council's Fourth District. She defeated incumbent David Ryu, becoming the first challenger in 17 years to unseat a sitting council member in the city.

Her victory was significant because her campaign relied heavily on grassroots outreach and community engagement rather than a conventional establishment-backed approach.

She was re-elected in March 2024, continuing to focus on housing affordability, homelessness and local government services.

During her time on the City Council, Raman supported tenant protections, affordable housing measures and efforts to improve the city's response to homelessness.

The Mayoral Campaign and a Historic Breakthrough

In 2026, Raman entered the Los Angeles mayoral race against incumbent Karen Bass. Her campaign focused on housing affordability, infrastructure, public services, homelessness and accountability at City Hall.

She also argued that residents needed a city government capable of responding more effectively to everyday problems, from housing insecurity to deteriorating public infrastructure.

The November 2026 election brought her national and international attention. Her rise was particularly significant for the South Asian community in the United States, as she became the first mayor of South Asian descent in Los Angeles.

The election also placed her grassroots political background and urban-planning experience at the centre of discussions about the city's future.

A Career Built Around Urban Issues

Raman's professional journey connects three different urban experiences: housing and eviction struggles in Delhi, civic accountability initiatives in Chennai and homelessness advocacy in Los Angeles.

Across these settings, her work has focused on how public institutions serve residents, especially those who face economic and social disadvantages.

Her transition from activism to electoral politics reflects her belief that community organising can be extended into government decision-making.

From working with slum dwellers in India to leading a major American city, Nithya Raman's journey has brought her early concerns about housing, public services and urban inequality onto a much larger political stage.