Los Angeles, US: In a historic electoral milestone, Indian-origin City Councilwoman Nithya Raman is projected to win the Los Angeles mayoral race, maintaining a decisive upward trajectory against incumbent Mayor Karen Bass as fresh figures were published on Wednesday afternoon, according to the Los Angeles Times.

As vote counting progressed through Wednesday, Raman, 45, pulled ahead of her rival, capturing 51.1 per cent of the ballots compared to 48.33 per cent for the 73-year-old leader, though election analysts cautioned that the electoral battle remained too close to call.

Voter priorities heading into the election underscored the immense municipal challenges facing the city. A poll conducted by Berkeley IGS and the Los Angeles Times from October 19 to 25 revealed that roughly 40 per cent of likely voters considered reducing homeless encampments a primary focus for the incoming mayor. Meanwhile, approximately 30 per cent expressed similar views regarding the importance of enhancing public safety or constructing more affordable housing.

Against this backdrop, a jubilant Nithya Raman stood before cheering supporters at her election night party on Tuesday, delivering a speech that fell just short of declaring victory but urged the crowd at the Greek Theatre plaza to hold off on celebrations for now. "I'm hopeful. I'm very hopeful," Raman told a raucous crowd fuelled by tequila and chicken tenders. "I'm also really superstitious. So we're all just going to be cool, OK? Very cool."

Originally from Kerala, where she was born in 1981, Raman relocated to the United States when she was six years old, subsequently obtaining US citizenship at the age of 22. Her academic background includes an undergraduate degree from Harvard University, followed by a master's degree in urban planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Professionally, she established Transparent Chennai, an urban research organisation dedicated to improving sanitation and civic amenities.

Following her relocation to Los Angeles in 2013, she collaborated with the municipal administrative officer, helped establish the SELAH Neighborhood Homeless Coalition and served as executive director at Time's Up Entertainment. This forecast signifies a significant political surprise in the race to govern the nation's second-most populous metropolis. (ANI)