From Telangana to Sydney: Sandhya Reddy makes history as Indian-origin mayor

(Oct 1, 2026) From community volunteer and Strathfield Citizen of the Year to councillor and deputy mayor, Indian-origin leader Sandy Reddy has now been elected the 73rd Mayor of Sydney’s Strathfield Council. An alumna of Hyderabad’s Osmania University, the Telangana-born Australian describes the mayoral role as both a ‘privilege and a responsibility’ according to a council media release.

When Sandhya ‘Sandy’ Reddy first began helping newly arrived migrant families in Sydney, she was not looking for a political career. She accompanied migrant mothers to local schools to help enrol their children, took them to libraries to obtain membership cards and explained their rights in Australia. She also encouraged women facing domestic violence to seek help and reminded them that they deserved to be treated with respect.

More than a decade later, the Indian-origin Australian has taken charge of the local government area in which she carried out much of that community work.

Before her election as mayor, Sandhya was a Strathfield councillor and had served as deputy mayor from September 2023 to September 2024 and again from September 2025 until her election as mayor.

Sandhya was elected the 73rd Mayor of Strathfield Council. “At its ordinary meeting on Tuesday, 29 September 2026, Council elected Councillor Sandy Reddy as Mayor and Councillor Esther Kim as Deputy Mayor for the remainder of this Mayoral term ending in September 2028, and Deputy Mayoral term ending in September 2027,” stated the council’s media release, which also quoted Sandhya:

Our community is a wonderful place to live, work and raise a family, and I am committed to working with my fellow councillors, council staff and community to build on what makes our area special.

Sandhya Reddy

Sandhya’s election marks the latest stage of a journey that has taken her from Mellareddygudem village in Telangana’s Vikarabad district to Sydney’s Inner West, and from immigration law and community volunteering to local government leadership.

Sandhya Reddy after being elected Mayor of Strathfield Council, along with council members 

The Sydney community she came to call home

Located about 10.5 km from Sydney’s city centre, Strathfield is a multicultural municipality in Sydney’s Inner West, home to around 48,500 people. It is one of 128 local council areas in New South Wales, the state that includes Sydney. More than half of Strathfield’s residents were born outside Australia, with India among the leading countries of birth, while nearly 64 percent speak a language other than English at home, according to council and NSW Government data.

From Hyderabad to Australia

Sandhya was born in Telangana and studied in Hyderabad before moving to Australia after her marriage in 1991, according to reports. She studied Intermediate at Stanley College before completing her law course and postgraduate studies at Osmania University.

After moving to Australia, she continued her education, earning a Master of Anthropology and a Graduate Certificate in Migration Law from the Australian National University (ANU).

She subsequently built a career in immigration and migration services and ran an education and migration consultancy in Sydney’s Inner West. Her professional experience was closely connected to the migrant community she served. But it was her voluntary work that brought her wider recognition in Strathfield.

Sandhya Reddy received Strathfield Citizen of the Year recognition in 2020

A Citizen of the Year before becoming a councillor

Sandhya got conferred the Strathfield’s Citizen of the Year in 2020, after years of volunteering. At the time, she was an active member of the Strathfield State Emergency Service and was assisting with the Bushfire Information Line during the devastating 2019-20 bushfire period. Her volunteering also included Clean Up Australia Day, Share the Dignity, World Vision programmes and blood donation drives.

She also helped organise chess tournaments for schoolchildren. Her son, Nikhil Reddy, was the Australian junior chess champion in 2017. But it was her work with newly arrived migrants that most clearly connected her community service with the path she would later take into local politics. In an interview a few years ago, she said:

I have always worked for giving back to the community, I have tried my best to be involved in the local community by helping out wherever I can.

Sandhya Reddy

She had also found a personal connection with Strathfield. In the interview she described how her husband, Karri who is living in Australia for close to 35 years, had brought her to the area and how she had found her first job there, built the family’s first home and raised her children in the community.

“I love this area for its friendly people, and for its beautiful parks where my family and I spend much time,” said  the Indian-origin leader.

Sandhya during an event in India

When volunteering became local politics

Sandhya entered electoral politics after years of community involvement. She was first elected to Strathfield Council in December 2021. In September 2023, she became Deputy Mayor, the first Indian woman to hold that position, according to contemporary reports.

She was re-elected as a councillor in 2024 and again became Deputy Mayor in September 2025. She has now moved to the top civic position on the council.

Her entry into local politics was driven by concerns that were very much about everyday life. In her interview a few years ago, she identified development in Strathfield town centre, tree management and illegal dumping as three issues of concern. She advocated greater community participation in development decisions, more customised approaches to tree management and improved waste collection and e-waste management.

Asked why she wanted to stand for council, she gave an answer that also reflected her attachment to the place she had made home:

Strathfield is a beautiful suburb with the best facilities for any family to settle down. I have always enjoyed being part of the community and as a local resident, I decided to contribute more to the community by being part of the council.

Sandhya Reddy

An Indian connection in a multicultural council

Sandhya Reddy’s civic work has also included representing and engaging with Strathfield’s multicultural communities. In 2022, while serving as a councillor, she was involved in efforts that led to the installation of a bust of former Indian Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha Rao at the Homebush West Community Centre. 

Strathfield has become highly multicultural since the Second World War, with residents from countries including India, China, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Vietnam, Lebanon and the Philippines. Today, the municipality is projected to grow substantially. As per the council its population is expected to exceed 60,000 by 2041.

Sandhya Reddy with EAM Jaishankar when he visited Australia

What the mayor’s role means

Unlike some cities where residents directly elect their mayor, Strathfield’s mayor is elected by the seven councillors from among themselves. The mayor therefore works with fellow councillors and council staff on matters that directly affect residents, from transport and parking to development, public spaces, community facilities, waste management and services.

For Sandhya, it is a responsibility that follows years of listening to residents and participating in community life. For the woman who once accompanied newly arrived migrant mothers to a local school to help them settle into Strathfield, the journey has come full circle. She is now leading the council that serves the community she chose as home.

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