Ravi Bhalla is the mayor-elect of Hoboken in New Jersey and will be the first Sikh mayor to be elected after a seven year stint as a successful councilman.

Despite a last-minute attempt to influence the electorate by calling him a terrorist, two-time councilman, a suave family person, forward looking and affable Ravinder Singh Bhalla, endorsed by the outgoing mayor Dawn Zimmer, was elected as the mayor of Hoboken in New Jersey.

Ravi Bhalla who is a councilman for the last seven years is the first elected Sikh mayor of the country and one of the first elected Sikh political figures in the US. The well-read lawyer has degrees from the University of California at Berkeley, the London School of Economics and the Tulane Law School.

Making his victory speech amidst supporters, friends and family, Ravi Bhalla said, “Thank you for having faith in me, for having faith in our community, faith in our state, and faith in our country; this is what America is all about,” he told the packed bar. “We’ve been through a bruising campaign… but now is the time we come together and see who we can work with to bring this city forward.”

Even earlier on when he was elected councilman, a New Jersey resident had tweeted against him and wanted him to be thrown out of the country.

Thank you Hoboken. I look forward to being your Mayor! #TeamBhalla #FinishedStrong pic.twitter.com/UKPuXkDWGX

— Ravinder S. Bhalla (@RaviBhalla) November 8, 2017

In a forthright attack on the hate campaign of Donald Trump and his party, Ravinder Singh Bhalla, born in the US to parents who migrated from homeland Punjab and who has been consistently facing discrimination over the years has boldly said, “I’m everything that Trump hates. A brown man wearing a turban, and a proud American with the know-how to stop his assaults on our country’s values.”

The Sikh community of New Jersey is ecstatic at his victory and so are Sikh-American leaders and organisations who have been working to “correct” the Sikh image across the United States. Ravi Bhalla while speaking to Huffington Post has made a remarkable comment about his relationship with his religion. He said, “I would say that there is no conflict in this country between being a Sikh and being a successful American.  I think it’s important for Sikh children to realize that they should have pride in their faith and know that in this country, the sky’s the limit. I hope as mayor, I can present a positive image of Sikh to the general public and I hope that it will make it easier for young kids in school.”

He further said that he was humbled by the support of all communities including Sikh Americans and that, “It means the world to me. The idea that I can uplift people, whether they are young people or older people in the Sikh community, and instill a sense of pride,” he said. “This is in a way a victory for the Sikh community as a whole in that it creates an opportunity to present a positive image for Sikhs in Hoboken and the rest of the country.”

Sikh American councilman, Ravi Bhalla elected Mayor in Hoboken, New Jersey. He is the FIRST Sikh ‘elected’ Mayor in American History. America belongs to ALL, no matter our race, religion or gender identity https://t.co/JTpuXVeify #election2017 pic.twitter.com/Yk6kXLQSVw

— Harjinder S Kukreja (@SinghLions) November 8, 2017

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Defeating six candidates, including the openly gay De Fusco, two members of his slate James Doyle and Emily Jabbour were also elected to the Hoboken council.