Mission Statement

Background

Asian Americans are the fastest-growing racial group in the United States, according to a recent survey by Pew Research Center. According to the 2010 Census, there are 15.5 million Asian Americans in the United States and a large concentration in New Jersey. Nearly 750,000 Asians call New Jersey their home, and of that 40.3% are Asian Indian. However, recent statistics indicate that Asian Americans are least likely to vote. At this time only 7% of the ethnic group participates in our elections yet they have the highest income and education levels. Political participation remains low; however, it is crucial to change this. Education is the key and SARI will fill this much overlooked problem of including citizens in this process by educating Asian Americans on the political processes and encourage involvement through various volunteering opportunities and events.

South Asian Elected Officials

Vin Gopal

Position: State Senate
Area: LD 11 (Monmouth County)

Assad Akhter

Position: Commissioner
Area: Passaic County

Raj Mukherji

Position: Assemblyman
Area: LD 33 (Hudson County)

Balvir Singh

Position: Commissioner
Area: Burlington County

Ravinder Singh Bhalla

Position: Mayor
Area: Hoboken

Hemant Marathe

Position: Mayor
Area: West Windsor

Shanti Narra

Position: Commissioner
Area: Middlesex County

Virbhadra Patel

Position: City Council
Area: Woodbridge
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Our Team

Ritesh Shah
Chairman
ritesh@sarinj.com
Ritesh Shah, Rph has been brought on board as the newly appointed CEO of Legacy Pharmacy Group. Ritesh has been a tireless advocate for the Community Pharmacy Industry and an outspoken leader on legislative issues. He is extremely active in his community and has recently been awarded the prestigious William H McNeill Memorial Award by NJ Pharmacists Association. Ritesh is the Chairman of the NJRxPAC and SARI. He previously served on Governor Murphy’s Healthcare Transition Team.
Yash Shah
Executive Director
yash@sarinj.com
Yash Shah is a recent college graduate from UCLA with a major in Biology. He is currently in the process of applying to medical schools and hopes to one day pursue a career in medicine while simultaneously being involved in local and state politics.He believes that it is very important for physicians and healthcare workers to get involved in local politics to ensure that healthcare policy and legislation are well informed by those working directly in the medical field.Yash is currently the Executive Director of SARI.

Events/News

SARI plans on having multiple education events to educate the South Asian populous on the Election Process in the State of New Jersey. There may be a great deal of confusion about the Two-Party Partisan and Non-Partisan elections in this State. These events will be designed to help newly registered voters have a better command of this process and to help them better understand the different issues present within the state of New Jersey. We hope to better educate the South Asian Community on these different issues and where candidates running for office stand on these matters.

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Get in Touch

Feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns you may have. We will do our very best to get back to you as soon as possible.

    We are currently in one of the most politically and socioeconomically charged climates in not only the history of our country, but also history on a global scale. While South Asians have typically constituted a very small portion in elected office, in recent years, they have started gaining precedence in prominent elected positions across the state. With the South Asian community possessing unique priorities, concerns, and challenges, it is important that we continue onward with this momentum and unite in an effort to further increase our community’s presence in the legislative and political body of the state.