South Asians for America on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, brought together community members in Queens to write postcards for two SAFA-endorsed candidates: Vichal Kumar, a Democrat running for Congress in New York’s 7th District, and Somnath Ghimire, a Democrat running for the state Assembly in District 30.
The meet-and-greet, attended largely by Nepalese community members, drew organizers, attorneys, and first-generation immigrants ahead of New York’s June 23 Democratic primary. Volunteers wrote postcards to voters in western Queens, where both candidates share constituents, a press release from SAFA said.
SAFA Co-National Director Harini Krishnan introduced Ghimire, a Woodside resident who has served as a SAFA New York state lead since the 2020 election cycle and is president of the Jackson Heights chapter of the Alliance of South Asian American Labor.
“Writing postcards is one of the most powerful ways immigrant communities can show up in our democracy,” Krishnan said. “You do not need to be a political insider. You do not need to make a big donation. You just need a pen, a stamp, and a belief that your neighbors’ voices matter. That is how movements are built.”
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SAFA Co-National Director Neha Dewan introduced Kumar, a civil rights attorney and longtime public defender who is running on a platform to dismantle ICE, empower workers, and expand healthcare access.
“I have known Vichal for more than two decades — from our time together at the South Asian Bar Association of New York, where I served as president, through his tenure as president of SABA North America,” Dewan said. “He has spent his career standing with working families, immigrants, and tenants. New York has never had a South Asian voice in Congress. It is time.”
“Somnath has been building South Asian voter power across Queens from the ground up,” Krishnan said. “He knows this district, he knows these families, and he has earned this moment. In the entire history of the United States, only two Nepali Americans have ever been elected to a state legislature. Somnath has the chance to be the third — and the first from Queens, home to one of the largest Nepali American communities in the country.”
Ghimire’s District 30 covers Elmhurst, Jackson Heights, and Woodside. He is campaigning on affordable housing, strong public schools, and worker protections.
“Our community is stronger when South Asians stand together,” Ghimire said. “Vichal and I come from different backgrounds and are running for different offices, but we are fighting for the same families — the restaurant workers, the taxi drivers, the home health aides who keep this city running. On June 23, we are going to show Queens and the country what this community can do when we move as one.”
Special guests who spoke at the event included Dinesh Mojumder, president of Bengali Club USA; Dileepkumar Thankappan, known as “Guru Dileepji,” an executive committee member of the New York State Interfaith Council and secretary of the Committee of Religious NGOs at the United Nations; SAFA New York community activist Merina Parajuli; 22-time Guinness World Records parkour holder Dinesh Sunar; and Luisang Waiba, founder and CEO of Nepal Day Parade 2016 and Senior Community Activist.
The event was hosted by Nepali Bhanchha Ghar Restaurant in Jackson Heights, a five-time winner of New York City’s annual Momo Crawl.