Indo-American Vivek Bavda joins race for Congress district seat

CHICAGO: Indian-American attorney Vivek Bavda has joined the race for a revamped Congressional District seat in Illinois in the November 2012 general elections, close on the heels of Raja Krishnamoorthi announcing his bid for another district in the US state.

34-year-old Bavda of Mundelein is running for Congress from the 10th district, home to close to 8 per cent Asians.

Bavda and another candidate Brad Scheneider will face Waukegan community organiser Ilya Sheyman and Hainseville mathematician Aloys Rutagwbira in the Democratic primary on March 20, 2012.

Born in Columbus in Ohio, Bavda, whose parents hail from Gujarat, is confident that he will win.

"A lot of Asian Americans don't vote. We need Asian Americans to vote . I'm up for the challenge. Part of my job is to engage them and let their voice be heard," Bavda said.

Bavda said he wants to work on creating more jobs and to improve education.

If elected, he said that he would encourage legal immigration. "We need a bigger younger base to support our ageing community. I'm proud to be an Asian-American," he said.

A lot of Indians come to me with the problem of visas and immigration reform.

"Having me in Congress and raising support system will let more Indian-Americans get into Congress," he said.

About 5,000 Indians live in the 10th district and Bavda said that it would be nice to get more help.

Among other candidates is Krishnamoorthi, who is running for Congress from the 8th District in Illinois.