Shekar Krishnan

Shekar Krishnan (born June 5, 1985) is an American attorney and politician who is a member of the New York City Council for the 25th district, which covers the northwestern Queens neighborhoods of Jackson Heights, Elmhurst, parts of East Elmhurst, and a small piece of Woodside.

Krishnan was born to immigrant parents from Kerala, India.

He received a Bachelor of Sciences in engineering from The Cooper Union and a Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan Law School.

Krishnan worked as an attorney at Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation A, directing the organization’s fair housing and tenant advocacy divisions. He is the co-founder of Communities Resist, a legal services organization that represents tenants and neighborhood coalitions in fair housing litigation and anti-displacement advocacy in gentrified neighborhoods.

2021 City Council campaign

Krishnan announced his candidacy in the 2021 Democratic primary for the 25th District of the New York City Council on November 17, 2020. Incumbent Councilmember Daniel Dromm was term-limited and could not run for reelection. He was endorsed by Dromm, U.S. Representative Nydia Velazquez, and State Senators Julia Salazar and John Liu. He centered his campaign on immigrant rights, the taxi medallion crisis, affordable housing, and climate justice.

Krishnan won the ranked-choice primary with 53.4% of all votes cast. He won the general election with 60% of the vote. Along with Shahana Hanif, Krishnan is one of the first South Asians to serve in the New York City Council. Days after being elected, Krishnan was arrested along with Hanif and Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani for protesting alongside taxi drivers.

Electoral history