Son of Punjabi immigrants could soon govern Louisiana

The son of Punjabi immigrants could be handed the keys to the governor’s mansion in Louisiana on Saturday, a state which just 16 years ago gave 39 percent of its vote to a white supremacist.

A conservative Republican, Piyush “Bobby” Jindal, 36, was the second Indian-American to be elected to the US congress in 2004 following a failed bid to be governor of Louisiana, a socially conservative state which still clings to old prejudices in some places.

Subsequent analysis showed that despite Jindal’s ardent support for right-wing “Christian” causes, he fared poorly against the more liberal Blanco in 26 rural voting districts that were carried by Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke’s unsuccessful run for governor in 1991.

New Orleans, Louisiana, Thursday, AFP