Upendra J. Chivukula

Upendra Chivukula
New Jersey Board of Public Utilities Commissioner
Assumed office
September 30, 2014
Preceded byJeanne Fox
Member of the New Jersey General Assembly
from the 17th district
In office
January 8, 2002 – September 30, 2014
Preceded byJerry Green
Bob Smith
Succeeded byJoseph Danielsen
Mayor of Franklin Township, Somerset County, New Jersey
In office
January 1, 2000 – December 31, 2000
Deputy Mayor of Franklin Township
In office
January 1, 1998 – December 31, 1998
Member of the Franklin Township Council from the 5th Ward
In office
January 1, 1998 – December 31, 2005
Preceded byJack Shreve
Succeeded byJames Vassanella
Personal details
Born (1950-10-08) October 8, 1950 (age 73)
Nellore, Madras State (now in Andhra Pradesh), India
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseLucrecia Dayci
ResidenceSomerset neighborhood of Franklin Township, Somerset County, New Jersey
Alma materB.E.E. Guindy Engineering College (Electrical Engineering)
M.E.E. City College of New York (Electrical Engineering)
OccupationEngineer

Upendra Chivukula (born October 8, 1950) is a Democratic politician who currently serves as a Commissioner on the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities after serving more than 12 years in the New Jersey General Assembly, where he had been the Deputy Speaker.

On September 18, 2014, Chivukula was nominated by Governor Chris Christie to a seat on the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, to replace retiring NJ BPU Commissioner Jeanne Fox.[1] The New Jersey Senate voted 35–1 to confirm Chivukula to a six-year term on the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities on September 22, 2014.

In 2014, he ran in the Democratic primary to fill retiring Congressman Rush Holt's seat in Congress, but he did not win the nomination.[2]

Chivukula served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 2002 to 2014, where he represented the 17th Legislative District. In 2001, Chivukula became the first Indian American elected to the New Jersey General Assembly and the fourth Indian American in the United States to be elected to state office.[3]

  1. ^ Chivukula on BPU appointment: I’m ready | Observer. Politickernj.com. Retrieved on November 16, 2016.
  2. ^ "Chivukula most progressive candidate in 'Rush Holt' Primary Debate"
  3. ^ 2004 State Government Official Category, accessed April 21, 2007. "Upendra Chivukula is the first Asian Indian American elected to the New Jersey State Assembly and the fourth Indian American in the US to be elected to state office."