Indian american Raj shahFormer USAID chief Raj Shah. Source: InternetOpen

Washington: US President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday tapped Raj Shah, a young Indian-American who played a leading role in the Republican party’s anti-Clinton campaign during polls, as his deputy assistant and communication and research director.

Shah, whose parents immigrated to the US from Gujarat, has been appointed as Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Communication Director and Research Director, as per an announcement made by the Presidential Transition Team.

Shah, who is in his early 30s, is currently head of Opposition Research in the Republican National Committee.

In this position, he led a team of experts to carry out research against Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential candidate. Shah was behind all the anti-Clinton campaign during the presidential elections.

“These individuals will be key leaders in helping to implement the President elect’s agenda and bring real change to Washington,” Priebus said.

A second generation Indian American, Shah’s parents are from Mumbai having origins from Gujarat. First his father came to the US for studies in 1970s then moved back to India. But after marriage his father and mother moved back to the US in late 70s.

They lived in Chicago and then moved to Connecticut, where he was born and raised.