Washington, Nov 8 (PTI) Successful Indian American businessman Harry Singh Sidhu has been elected as mayor of Anaheim, one of the largest cities in the state of California.

Sidhu who served as member of the Anaheim City Council for eight years from 2002 to 2012, defeated Ashleigh Aitken in the November 6 mid-term elections. He would be the first Sikh mayor of the city.

"I am honoured and thrilled to lead the charge in unifying our city once again," said Sidhu after his electoral victory.

Born in India, Sidhu moved to the US along with his parents in 1974 as a permanent resident and settled in Philadelphia.

Once sworn in, mayor-elect Sidhu will be one of the few Sikh mayors in the US, which includes Mayor Ravinder Singh Bhalla of Hoboken and Mayor Preet Didbal of Yuba City.

"It is incredibly exciting to see Mr Sidhu, a Sikh, become mayor of such a large and diverse city. I look forward to engaging with him on issues that impact Sikhs in Anaheim, and the larger Orange County region," said Jas Sajjan, Director of Public Policy for the National Sikh Campaign.

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