Hyderabad-born Osmania alumna is Sydney Council mayor

Sandhya Reddy, or Sandy Reddy, as she is locally known, was elected mayor of Strathfield Council in Sydney, Australia, on Tuesday, September 29. She will serve as mayor till September 2028.

Sandhya Reddy, or Sandy Reddy, as she is locally known, was elected mayor of Strathfield Council in Sydney, Australia, on Tuesday, September 29. She will serve as mayor till September 2028.

Reports suggest she is the first Indian-born migrant woman to serve as a mayor in Australia.

Reddy’s roots lie in Mallareddygudem in Mominpet mandal of Vikarabad district. In Hyderabad, she studied at the Stanley College and did her law from the Osmania University before moving to Australia in 2005.

She worked as an immigration lawyer and later became involved in community and civic affairs. Her journey in the local politics started with her election as a councillor in Strathfield in 2021.

In 2023, she became the first Indian woman to be elected the deputy mayor of Strathfield.

In the 2024 local elections, she retained her council seat.

After resuming office as deputy mayor in September 2025, she served in the role until her election as mayor.

Out of 3,38,26,448 electors, 73,39,235 were identified as ASDS.

These include 57.46 lakh who had permanently shifted or were found absent. The election authorities also identified 9.22 lakh deceased, while 6.70 lakh voters were found enrolled at multiple places.

As many as 60 lakh voters were issued notices for discrepancies in their names or their family members’ names, or any inconsistencies in age, etc. Another 32 lakh electors were identified as unmapped, those who couldn’t be linked to 2002 rolls.