Indian-origin candidate Nithya Raman has taken a narrow lead over incumbent Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass in the closely watched race to lead the second most populous city in the United States.
The counting process is still ongoing, but Raman, 45, is ahead in the results gathering with 51.67 per cent. So far she has accumulated over four lakh votes, which gives her an edge on the incumbent mayor.
But the result is tight, as many votes are still to be tallied.
Raman Gained Ground as Vote Counting Continued
Initial results were released after polling has concluded, putting Karen Bass up front.
But step by step Raman took hold as the election counting was updated by the authorities with a number of subsequent updates. Overall, the challenger eventually caught away and had a tight lead in the early game of Wednesday’s tally.
One-third of the ballots were uncounted which means the election result is still in doubt.
Historic Win Could Follow If Raman Prevails
If she remains the victor and is elected if they are a viable, colorful, progressive political leader in the United States, she may be among the big name mayors to emerge.
If she does win she would come after NY Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist who was elected last year.
The Los Angeles mayoral election will be closely watched as votes count up to the final tally, as Raman and Bass jockey for leadership of one of the most influential and populous cities in America.