Upendra J. Chivukula (born October 8, 1950) is an American Democratic Party politician, who has served in the New Jersey General Assembly since 2002, where he represents the 17th legislative district. Assemblyman Chivukula is the first Asian Indian American elected to the New Jersey General Assembly and the fourth Indian American in the United States to be elected to state office.
Chivukula serves in the Assembly on the Telecommunications and Utilities Committee (as Chair) and the Commerce and Economic Development Committee.
Assemblyman Chivukula has served on the Franklin Township Council since 1997, serving as its Mayor in 2000 and its Deputy Mayor in 1998. In Franklin Township, he has also served on the Franklin Township Community Foundation, Finance Oversight Committee, Traffic Management Committee, Fire Prevention Board, Emergency Life Support Delivery, Integrated Communications Committee, Emergency Management, Franklin Township Planning Board, Economic Development Committee, Community / Senior Center Steering Committee and the Bicentennial Celebration Committee. Chivukula has served on the Somerset County Affordable Housing Board of Trustees and the Middlesex County Cultural and Historic Commission. He was appointed by then Governor of New Jersey James Florio to be a Public Member of the New Jersey State Board of Social Work Examiners, where he served from 1994 to 1997.
He was a Member of Delegation to the Democratic National Convention in 1996 and 2000.
Chivukula was one of New Jersey's presidential electors casting the state's Electoral College votes after the 2004 presidential election. New Jersey's electors cast their ballots on December 13, 2004 in the State House Annex, in Trenton, where all 15 votes were cast for the Democratic Party candidate John Kerry.
To learn more about Upendra Chivukula, visit his website:
http://www.ialipac.org/candidates/upendra.html |