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         16                                                                                                                       NOVEMBER 27, 2020

                      GoPio and imPact celebrate




             indian american election Victories






                   Two republicans and 13 democrats


          elected from 11 state legislatures recount




                        their experiences in virtual event





        Our Bureau                                                                                                    functioning of IMPACT sug-
                                                                                                                      gested  potential  candidates  to
        New York                                                                                                      fill up the form at the IMPACT
            n the early 80s, there were                                                                               website.
            two city council members                                                                                      Deepak Raj, the other IM-
        Ifrom the Indian American                                                                                     PACT co-founder, said he met
        community in small towns – a                                                                                  Goyle in 2008 and discussed
        remarkable achievement then.                                                                                  ways to get more Indians elect-
        From those days we have trav-                                                                                 ed. Soon IMPACT was born.
        eled  a  long  way  to  win  many                                                                             He pointed out that the Demo-
        positions in several states, in-                                                                              cratic Party has understood the
        cluding the vice presidency of                                                                                influence of the Indian Ameri-
        the US.” That was Dr. Thomas                                                                                  can community.
        Abraham, founder president                                                                                        Goyle  also noted that Raj,
        and currently Chairman of the                                                                                 an entrepreneur wrote the first
        Global Organization of People                                                                                 check for the organization and
        of Indian Origin (GOPIO), at a                                                                                continued to support the orga-
        celebration honoring the new-                                                                                 nization over the years. “As a
        ly elected members to various          celebration organizers, from top left clockwise, raj Goyle, Dr. thomas   broad-based community orga-
        state legislatures.                                 Abraham, Deepak raj and Dr. tushar Patel                  nization, we at GOPIO want to
                                                                                                                      provide a bipartisan platform
        the event, held on Zoom,                                                                                      to bring all statewide Indian
                                                                                                                      American elected lawmakers,
        was hosted by GoPio                                                                                           and we are hoping that this will

        chapters          (manhattan,                                                                                 motivate more Indian Ameri-
                                                                                                                      cans to join the political leader-
        new  york,  central  new                                                                                      ship process – especially young

        york, connecticut, central                                                                                    Indian Americans,” Abraham
                                                                                                                      said.
        Jersey and Virginia) in col-          (From left) New hampshire rep. lata mangipudi, right GoPio-manhattan        Dr. Nikil Saval, Democrat, a

        laboration with the indian                                  President shivender sofat                         writer and community organiz-
                                                                                                                      er from Philadelphia, Pennsyl-
        american  impact Fund                state    legislatures    recount- were about 10 Indian families          vania, described his fight in the
                                             ed their experiences. Former  in the district at that time.
        (imPact).                            Kansas State Representative             Goyle said the community         Senate District 1 to dislodge a
                                             Raj Goyle, a co-founder of  worked for the level of success              three-term incumbent. He was
                                                                                                                      the first Indian American elect-
            The program was streamed  IMPACT, was the moderator.  reached this year. “We expect-
        live though The Indus TV, PIO  Rep. Goyle said he feels he was  ed it,” he said, adding that the              ed to the Pennsylvania legisla-
        TV and UNI TV to all over the  elected 10,000 years ago in 2006  IMPACT  fund  raised  $10  mil-              ture. Saval said he raised mon-
        world.                               when he was 31. It is an emo- lion for the campaigns. Impact             ey from 5,000 people, and that
            Two Republicans and 13  tional thing to be to get elected,  Executive Director Neil Makh-                 about 500 volunteers worked to
        Democrats elected from 11  he said, pointing out that there  ija provided information on the                         Continued at next page... >>


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