Upendra J.
Chivukula (born October 8, 1950) is an American Democratic Party
politician, who has served in the New Jersey General Assembly since 2002, where
he represents the 17th legislative district. Assemblyman Chivukula is the first
Asian Indian American elected to the New Jersey General Assembly and the fourth
Indian American in the United States to be elected to state office.
Chivukula
serves in the Assembly on the Commerce and Economic Development Committee (as
Vice Chair), the Telecommunications and Utilities Committee and the
Transportation Committee.
Assemblyman
Chivukula has served on the Franklin Township Council since 1997, serving as
its Mayor in 2000 and its Deputy Mayor in 1998. In Franklin Township, he has
also served on the Franklin Township Community Foundation, Finance Oversight
Committee, Traffic Management Committee, Fire Prevention Board, Emergency Life
Support Delivery, Integrated Communications Committee, Emergency Management,
Franklin Township Planning Board, Economic Development Committee, Community /
Senior Center Steering Committee and the Bicentennial Celebration Committee.
Chivukula has served on the Somerset County Affordable Housing Board of Trustees
and the Middlesex County Cultural and Historic Commission. He was appointed by
then Governor of New Jersey James Florio to be a Public Member of the New
Jersey State Board of Social Work Examiners, where he served from 1994 to 1997.
He was a
Member of Delegation to the Democratic National Convention in 1996 and 2000.
Chivukula was
one of New Jersey's presidential electors casting the state's Electoral College
votes after the 2004 presidential election. New Jersey's electors cast their
ballots on December 13, 2004 in the State House Annex, in Trenton, where all 15
votes were cast for the Democratic Party candidate John Kerry.
Chivukula
received a B.E.E. from Guindy’s Engineering College in Electrical Engineering
and was awarded an M.E.E. degree from City College of New York in Electrical
Engineering.