Wife of US Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed has roots in Karnataka's Bhatkal
Psychiatrist Sarah Jukaku's family traces its ancestry to the coastal town of Bhatkal in Karnataka.
The victory of Michigan Democrat Abdul El-Sayed in the US Senate race has brought attention to his wife, Dr Sarah Jukaku, and her family's connection to Bhatkal in Karnataka. El-Sayed, 42, defeated Republican Mike Rogers in the November 3, 2026, US midterm elections, according to Mint.
Dr Jukaku is a psychiatrist born and raised in Michigan to Indian-immigrant parents. Her father, Dr Tayeb Jukaku, is a nephrologist who completed his MBBS in Bengaluru before moving to the United States in the 1980s, as reported by The Economic Times and Hindustan Times.
Her grandfather, Jukaku Shamshuddin, was a prominent lawyer and served as deputy minister for finance in the erstwhile Mysore State under Chief Minister BD Jatti. He is remembered for driving local development in Bhatkal, including bringing electricity to the town.
Dr Jukaku earned degrees in sociology and Near East studies from the University of Michigan and a master's from the University of Oxford. She completed her medical training at Columbia University's Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons in 2015.
The couple met as students at the University of Michigan and married in May 2006. They have two daughters, Emmalee and Serene, and live in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
El-Sayed has previously commented on his marital connection to South India, stating in an interview that he has been married into a South Indian family for 20 years.
