A tough road ahead8230;

Bobby Jindal, an Oxford-educated son of Punjabi immigrants who scripted history by winning the Louisiana Governor race, faces daunting challenges ahead when he takes over one of the poorest and most uneducated states of the US from incumbent Kathleen Blanco.

Born on June 10, 1971 in Baton Rouge in Louisiana, Republican Jindal, a rising star of President George W Bush8217;s party, impressively defeated his opponents in the Gubernatorial poll in a state that usually picks its leaders from deep in the rural hinterland and has not had a non-white head since the reconstruction era. Jindal, who was twice elected to two-year term each for Congress from Louisiana8217;s First Congressional District based in the suburbs of New Orleans, is currently a member of the House of Representatives and would retain the post till January next when he assumes the charge as Governor in January next, the youngest person to hold the post in the country.

Jindal faces significant challenges as he takes over what is now one of the poorest, most uneducated and most unhealthy state of the US, a state which was devastated by hurricane Katrina and Rita. Incumbent Blanco had faced severe criticism for her handling of the situation in the aftermath of the hurricanes.

Jindal, who was born as a Hindu but converted to Catholicism, is the second Indian-American to serve in Congress after Dalip Singh Saund, a Democrat.