Family members of Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed in India are celebrating his victory in the US midterm elections after he beat Republican Mike Rogers following a bitter campaign in one of the most important swing states.
asserted
he → celebrate → states
Dr El-Sayed, the son of Egyptian immigrants, is married Sarah Jukaku, a practicing psychiatrist with roots in India's southern state of Karnataka.
asserted
Sayed → marry → Karnataka
The couple met during their time at the University of Michigan and subsequently got married in 2006, according to reports.
uncertain
couple → meet → reports
While Dr Jukaku was born and raised in Michigan, her relatives still live in Bhatkal, around 490km west of state capital, Bengaluru.
asserted
relatives → bear → capital
Jukaku Abdul Majeed, a Kerala-based businessman and uncle of Dr Jukaku, said Dr El-Sayed's victory was a deeply personal triumph.
asserted
victory → base → Jukaku
"Muslims constitute only around 2.5 per cent of the US population.
asserted
Muslims → constitute → population
We never imagined that the outcome would be in his favour, given the circumstances.
asserted
outcome → imagine → circumstances
His victory came as a blessing," he told the New Indian Express.
asserted
he → come → Express
Family members called Dr El-Sayed the “son-in-law of Karnataka” and a warm and approachable person.
asserted
members → call → Karnataka
The couple, who share two daughters, had travelled to Bhatkal over a decade ago to attend a cousin's wedding, spending at least four days with the family.
asserted
who → share → family
Dr Jukaku's cousin Bibi Husna told NDTV that the family was stressed during the fierce campaign and on the counting day.
asserted
family → tell → day
"But by the grace of God, it has been a lovely victory," she said.
asserted
she → say → God
Mr El-Sayed, during his campaign, quipped that being married to a South Indian woman for two decades had made him "more Indian than Arab".
asserted
him → quip → Arab
"Everybody likes desis more than Arabs," he said on a podcast.
asserted
he → like → podcast
He added: "I'm an honorary Indian.
asserted
I → add → ?
There is a patience to Indian culture that I appreciated only when I went to India.
asserted
I → be → India
You're surrounded by a billion people.
asserted
You → surround → people
Nothing gets done quickly," he added.
asserted
he → do → ?
In another podcast posted in August, he recalled that his uncle asked him why he married an Indian when there were 80 million Egyptians.
asserted
he → post → Indian
Dr El-Sayed responded, saying: "Amu (uncle in Arabic), there are a billion of them, so statistically speaking, this was a high probability."
asserted
this → respond → them
Mr El-Sayed separately said he was "surrounded by desi women...
asserted
he → say → women
I have two desi daughters and a desi wife".
asserted
I → have → daughters
Dr Jukaku's father, Jukaku Tayeb, studied at the Bangalore Medical College before moving to the US in 1976.
asserted
father → study → 1976
Her grandfather, Jukaku Shamshuddin, served as deputy minister for finance in the erstwhile Mysore state.
asserted
grandfather → serve → state
Mr El-Sayed has also often spoken fondly about his heritage, praised Egyptian food and humour, and warmly recalled summers in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, where his father grew up.
asserted
father → speak → Alexandria
Mr El-Sayed is a former public health official who focused his grassroots campaign on universal health care, removing outside money from elections, and sharp criticism of Israel.
asserted
who → focus → Israel
It carried him past massive outside spending in both the Democratic primary and the general election.
asserted
It → carry → primary
His victory will bolster the movement ahead of the 2028 presidential election, offering evidence that candidates embracing its agenda can win in critical battleground states.
asserted
candidates → bolster → states
Former president Barack Obama and former vice president Kamala Harris were among the high-profile Democrats who campaigned with El-Sayed in the city to help mobilise voters.
asserted
who → campaign → voters
The Aporia
