States » SouthPosted at: Nov 5 2026 1:55PM


Karnataka family legacy finds a place in American political history

Bengaluru, Nov 5 (UNI) A small coastal town in Karnataka has found an unexpected connection with the corridors of American power. Bhatkal, in Uttara Kannada district, is now drawing attention after Democrat Abdul El-Sayed became the first Muslim elected to the US Senate, with his wife's family tracing its roots to the town and carrying a remarkable political legacy.
Behind this transcontinental connection lies the story of JH Shamsuddin Jukaku, a lawyer, educationist and politician from Bhatkal who rose to become Deputy Finance Minister of the erstwhile Mysore State in the 1950s. His granddaughter, Dr Sarah Jukaku, is married to El-Sayed, bringing a family legacy from coastal Karnataka into the spotlight following his electoral victory in Michigan on November 3.
For Bhatkal, the connection is more than a matter of family ancestry. It is also a reminder of a local leader whose contributions to public life helped shape the town's development decades before his granddaughter's family became part of the American political landscape.
Jukaku, who belonged to the Nawayath Muslim community, was reportedly the first person from his community to qualify as a lawyer. His political journey began with his election to the Bombay Legislative Assembly in 1946. After the reorganisation of political boundaries, he represented Honnavar in the Mysore Legislative Assembly, winning in 1957 and 1962.
In 1958, he became Deputy Finance Minister under Chief Minister BD Jatti and subsequently served as Deputy Minister for Electricity under S Nijalingappa.
His contribution was not confined to government offices. Residents credited him with bringing electricity and essential infrastructure to Bhatkal. He was also associated with Anjuman Hami-e-Muslimeen, a charitable trust that continues to run educational institutions in the town. A prominent intersection was named Shamsuddin Circle in his honour.
The family's journey from Bhatkal to the United States began with one of his sons, Dr Jukaku S Tayeb, who moved to America in the 1980s after working in Saudi Arabia.
A nephrologist, Tayeb graduated from Bangalore Medical College in 1976 before completing his medical training in Michigan and establishing a practice in the Detroit area.
His daughter Sarah was born and raised in Michigan but retained strong connections with her Indian roots. Family visits to Bengaluru and Bhatkal, along with ties to Coorg, kept the Karnataka connection alive across generations.
Sarah met El-Sayed at the University of Michigan, where both were associated with the Muslim Students' Association. They married in May 2006. She later studied at the University of Oxford and earned her medical degree from Columbia University's Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons in 2015 before pursuing a career in psychiatry.
El-Sayed, too, has embraced his wife's Indian heritage. At a Pakistan Independence Day gathering in August, he described Sarah as 'desi'. On another occasion, reflecting on his familiarity with South Indian culture after nearly two decades of marriage, he remarked, "I might be more Indian than I am Arab."
The couple have two daughters.
Now, with El-Sayed's victory in Michigan, the spotlight has travelled thousands of kilometres to Bhatkal, where the story of a former Mysore minister has acquired an unexpected international dimension.
From a lawyer who helped bring electricity to a coastal Karnataka town to a family member entering the US Senate, the Jukaku family's journey offers a fascinating glimpse into how local legacies can travel across generations and continents.
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