Shillong, August 2: Shiva Ayyadurai, a scientist, and entrepreneur, has become the fourth Indian-American to declare his candidacy as an independent candidate for the 2024 US presidential election.

In his recent campaign announcement, the 59-year-old Mumbai-born Ayyadurai expressed his desire to serve America beyond the traditional “Left” and “Right” divides and deliver solutions that the people need and deserve.

IANS reported that Ayyadurai emphasized his vision for America to enter a Golden Age, free from the influence of career politicians, political hacks, lawyer-lobbyists, and academics who, in his view, perpetuate corruption and crony capitalism in the country.

Having left India in 1970 and settled in Paterson, New Jersey, Ayyadurai has lived the American dream. He describes his childhood experience in India, where his family was considered low caste “Untouchables” and “Deplorables,” as the motivation for his pursuit of change and progress in the US.

A Fulbright Scholar with four degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Ayyadurai is known for starting seven hi-tech companies, including EchoMail, CytoSolve, and Systems Health. He also claims to have “invented email” at the age of 14.

Ayyadurai’s presidential bid announcement comes shortly after Indian-American aerospace engineer Hirsh Vardhan Singh announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination, following former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.