‘Son-in-law of Karnataka’: El-Sayed’s Indian relatives celebrate US election victory

Family members of US Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed in India's Karnataka state have celebrated his victory in the US midterm elections, calling him the “son-in-law of Karnataka” after he defeated Republican candidate Mike Rogers in a closely contested race, The Independent reports.

El-Sayed, the son of Egyptian immigrants, is married to Sarah Jukaku, a psychiatrist whose family has roots in the southern Indian state of Karnataka.

The couple met while studying at the University of Michigan and married in 2006. Although Jukaku was born and raised in Michigan, her relatives continue to live in Bhatkal, a coastal town around 490km west of Karnataka's capital Bengaluru.

Jukaku Abdul Majeed, a Kerala-based businessman and uncle of Sarah Jukaku, described El-Sayed's victory as a deeply personal achievement for the family.

“Muslims constitute only around 2.5 per cent of the US population. We never imagined that the outcome would be in his favour, given the circumstances. His victory came as a blessing,” he told The New Indian Express.

Relatives described El-Sayed as a warm and approachable person and said they were closely following his campaign and election results.

The couple, who have two daughters, visited Bhatkal more than a decade ago to attend a cousin's wedding and spent at least four days with their relatives.

Sarah Jukaku's cousin Bibi Husna told NDTV that the family had been anxious throughout the intense campaign and on election day. However, she said the victory had brought them immense joy.

During his campaign, El-Sayed often spoke about his connection to Indian culture, joking that two decades of marriage to a South Indian woman had made him “more Indian than Arab”.

“Everybody likes desis more than Arabs,” he said on a podcast.

He also described himself as an “honorary Indian”, saying his visit to India had helped him appreciate the patience associated with Indian culture.

In another podcast in August, he recalled his uncle questioning why he had married an Indian woman when there were 80 million Egyptians. El-Sayed responded that there were a billion Indians, making it statistically more likely.

Jukaku's family also has a notable background in Karnataka. Her father, Jukaku Tayeb, studied at Bangalore Medical College before moving to the United States in 1976. Her grandfather, Jukaku Shamshuddin, served as deputy minister for finance in the erstwhile Mysore state.

El-Sayed has also frequently spoken about his Egyptian heritage, recalling his father's hometown of Alexandria and expressing affection for Egyptian food and culture.

A former public health official, El-Sayed built his campaign around universal healthcare, removing outside money from elections and strong criticism of Israel. His grassroots campaign overcame substantial outside spending during both the Democratic primary and the general election.

His victory is expected to strengthen the progressive movement within the Democratic Party ahead of the 2028 presidential election, demonstrating the electoral potential of candidates campaigning on its agenda.

Former US president Barack Obama and former vice president Kamala Harris were among the prominent Democrats who campaigned alongside El-Sayed to mobilise voters.