Abdul el-sayed Senate candidacy connects US politics to Karnataka town

Abdul El-Sayed became a candidate for the US Senate, a move that sparked celebrations in Bhatkal, a coastal town in the Indian state of Karnataka.

The connection stems from his wife, Sarah Jukaku, who has family roots in the region. The Jukaku family belongs to the Nawayath community, an ancient Muslim merchant group with origins in Yemen, Arab, Iran, and Iraq. This community settled in southern India over the last 600 years.

A prominent ancestor, Jukaku Shamsuddin, served as the deputy finance minister in the Mysore government during the 1950s. Local residents credit him with pioneering the development of Bhatkal by establishing roads, electricity, and educational institutions. Sarah’s father, Dr Jukaku S Tayeb, moved from Bhatkal to Bengaluru for medical school in 1976 before eventually moving to Michigan in the 1980s to practice as a nephrologist.

While the family has moved across the globe, relatives in India and the United States continue to maintain ties to their heritage. Family members expressed pride in Abdul El-Sayed’s candidacy, noting his commitment to public service and personal values.