Subba Rao Kolla, Puneet Ahluwalia to make bids to Virigina Assembly

Subba Rao Kolla, an Indian-American Republican from Washington DC, announced he will run against incumbent Democrat John Bell for the Virginia House of Delegates 87th District seat, the media reported.

Another Indian-American Republican leader from Virginia Puneet Ahluwalia is contesting for Virginia’s House of Delegates for the 34th district against incumbent Kathleen Murphy. Ahluwalia, 10th District Representative on the Virginia Republican State Central Committee, served as a financial chair of the Asian American presidential inaugural ball in January.

Kolla, a real estate businessman and a community activist, if elected, will become the first Indian-origin member of the Virginia House of Delegates, American Bazaar reported. Kolla immigrated to the U.S. in the 1990s and became an American citizen in 2008.

“Whether helping new citizens navigate the area and become citizens or volunteering as I have for the past three years on the Loudoun County Board of Equalization, I understand the importance of having accessible, hands-on help from our elected officials.

“My top priorities as a member of the State House will be education, transportation and working with small businesses and taxpayers to reduce government interference and regulation. As a conservative Republican, I believe the government that governs least, governs best,” he added.

The success of our community demands us to be active and participate in mainstream politics. It is our responsibility to strengthen the diversity of our nation,” he said. “We should be supporting President Trump and Republican leadership in creating and promoting American jobs with strong emphasis on balanced trade between US-Indo Pacific Region. We should not lose focus on eradicating terrorism and enemies of democracies,” he added.

Ahluwalia said that he would work to strengthen the Republican Party’s base in Virginia, among other things. “We will watch our allies’ back and it is important that communities, including the Indian-American community that has benefited most from this great nation, play a pivotal role in the revival process. I had a choice but I chose to stand up and participate in the political process and serve the public of 34th district,” Ahluwalia said. “Our nation is at a crossroad where we will take new positive direction as we embark on a journey to make our nation stronger.”

He added: “I have the support of my wife, kids and friends, and supporters and very importantly the leadership of the Republican Party, especially Barbara Comstock.” A Delhi Public School (DPS) alumni, Ahluwalia heads consultancy and IT businesses in the Washington DC area, along with active participation in the US politics, since 1998-99.

Kolla is a realtor in Loudoun County, having worked in real estate for over 10 years, and is well-known among the local Telugu community. He holds an M.Tech degree from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, and owns his own real estate firm, Advin Realty.

He is also engaged with the Indian-American community, both at the local and national level. His work with the community has been lauded by former Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell as well as by the Telugu Association of North America (TANA). Kolla was one of the delegates during the Republican National Convention held in Cleveland last July.