Mississauga, a city next to Toronto in the Canadian province of Ontario, elects its mayor on Monday, October 26. Dipika Damerla, who has Telugu roots, is one of the four main candidates.

Who she is

  • She was born in Hyderabad into a Telugu family. She moved to Canada, earned an MBA from the University of Toronto and worked in banking.
  • She was a member of the Ontario legislature from 2011 to 2018 and served as Minister of Seniors Affairs.
  • She has been Mississauga's Ward 7 councillor since 2018. She finished third in the 2024 mayoral by-election.

The field

The four main candidates are Mayor Carolyn Parrish, former mayor Bonnie Crombie, Ward 2 councillor Alvin Tedjo and Damerla. Damerla has promised not to raise property taxes if elected. She set her promises to the tune of an old Hindi film song in a campaign video that drew attention online.

Mississauga has a large population of Indian origin. The result is likely to be known on Tuesday, India time.