Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed speaks at an election night event, early Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026, in Detroit, as his wife Sarah Jukaku watches. (Source: AP Photo)With Abdul El-Sayed set to make history, becoming the first Muslim Senator in the US, a small town in Karnataka 8,000 km away got a reason to celebrate.Abdul El-Sayed’s wife Sarah Jukaku has roots in Bhatkal with her family credited with playing a key role in the development of the region 75 years ago — even before the formation of the Karnataka state.The Jukaku family belongs to the Nawayath community — an ancient Muslim merchant community, mostly from Yemen, Arab, Iran and Iraq, which settled in the coastal towns of southern India over the last 600 years.Jukaku Shamsuddin, a prominent lawyer, served as the deputy finance minister in the Mysore government under Chief Minister BD Jatti in the 1950s. He was the first lawyer from the community and also the first to be made a minister. During his tenure, the town is said to have seen visionary development of the kind never seen before.Follow Here | US Midterm Election Results 2026“Planning of town, roads, electricity, education institutions… you name it and he had done it in Bhatkal,” says journalist Aftab Husain Kola says.Kola, also the author of the book ‘JH Shamshuddin- Service Above Self’, says Shamshuddin was regarded for his “commitment to principles” and for always holding the “moral high ground”.Anjuman Hami-e-Muslimeen, a charitable trust of Bhatkal that runs education institutions, has named its administrative building after Shamshuddin.Story continues below this adHe died at 52, leaving behind wife Zubeidah Begum, six daughters and four sons. The families then started to move to different parts of the country to pursue education and trade. Many of them settled in Bengaluru.Sarah’s father Dr Jukaku S Tayeb was one of them. After his early years in Bhatkal, he enrolled for medical education at Bangalore Medical College in 1976. He then left for the middle east before settling in Michigan in the 1980s as a nephrologist.Sarah’s first cousin Jukaku Shamshuddin Zia, who is named after their grandfather, says, “My grandfather died early, even before my father was married. We understood his significance from family members and others. Until a few years ago, Sarah and my parents made it a point to visit Bengaluru and Bhatkal with the whole family to help them get in touch with their roots. We used to meet my grandfather’s friends and relatives in this town. But now, those visits have drastically come down.” he says.Also Read | US midterms: Key takeaways, impact on the world and IndiaZia, who shuttles between Dubai and Bengaluru, says the family is proud of what Abdul El-Sayed has been able to achieve. “He is a man of values and principles who has been working for the public. We are happy that he is now the Senate candidate,” Zia recently told The Indian Express.Story continues below this adDespite the family’s political leanings, Zia says they rarely discuss politics in the family WhatsApp group that Sarah is also a part of. “All children and grandchildren are part of the group. Sarah does share information related to the family and we usually have good conversations.”