Jaipur celebrates Pia Dandia's election to US House of Representatives from Florida

The festive season is witnessing an added celebration in Jaipur's Dandia household after Indian-American Democrat Pia Dandia won election to the US House of Representatives from Florida, defeating Republican candidate Casey Askar in a constituency traditionally dominated by Republicans.

Dandia's victory drew congratulations from Indian-American Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, who welcomed her as the third South Asian American woman in the House, alongside herself and Aisha Wahab.

"Congratulations to @PiaforCongress for winning her election! I am so excited to welcome the third South Asian American woman (along with me and @aishabbwahab) to the House!!!" Jayapal wrote on X.

Although born and raised in the United States, Dandia has maintained close links with Jaipur and India since childhood. Her family gathered at their home near Rambagh Circle Road in Jaipur to celebrate her election.

Dandia is the daughter of Dr Rohit Dandia and Bharati Dandia, and the granddaughter of Dr P C Dandia, a distinguished pharmacologist who is 101 years old. Dr P C Dandia served as professor emeritus at Sawai Man Singh Medical College in Jaipur, where his son also studied medicine.

Her paternal grandmother, Dr Chandrakanta Dandia, was director of the Department of Adult Education at Rajasthan University. Her parents moved to the United States around four decades ago.

Dandia grew up with strong connections to her Indian heritage. Her parents sent her on trips to India as a child to spend time with her cousins in Jaipur.

"Very early on, my parents would send me on solo trips to India to spend time with my cousins. These trips were life-changing and played a pivotal role in shaping my identity. They helped me understand how different democracies function and gave me a sense of global inequality," she said in a 2025 interview.

After her first year at Harvard University, she spent a summer teaching English to children in the slums of Jaipur and at New Delhi's Asha Cooperative Society.

"Teaching those underprivileged kids, I learnt what truly separates people from each other is not their potential, but their circumstances," she recalled.

Dandia studied government at Harvard and earned a master's degree in education from Boston University. At 28, she became the founding principal of Democracy Prep Endurance High School in Harlem, where around 86 per cent of students came from low-income families.

She said every graduate from the school secured admission to college, fulfilling a commitment made to students and their families.

A former teacher and principal at a high school founded by her mother, Bharati, Dandia highlighted education, healthcare and economic security in her victory speech.

"I want to fight for a future that is worthy of you, where you can go to school and learn and feel safe, where you can live in a warm home with room to dream and play, where you can see a doctor when you're sick that your parents can afford, and where you feel the freedom to become whoever you dream of being," she said.

Her campaign focused on the cost of living, corruption, healthcare, education and gun safety.

"South Floridians are fed up with the rising costs and performative politics coming out of Washington," she said in her victory speech.