No other nation’s elections create so much frenzy as the elections in the United States of America. As the election date inches closer, more closely is the election scrutinized and watched with great zeal. Recently, after the first presidential debate, where President Joe Biden’s abysmal performance became a matter of concern, the US politics is most talked about. Worse, last Saturday, his Republican counterpart Donald Trump was shot at during a rally in Pennsylvania. The former president survived the attack with a minor injury on his ear.
As the world prepares for the tough contest between the two candidates, there’s another aspect of these elections worth taking note of – its India connection. Four years ago, it was Kamala Harris, who created history when she became the US Vice President. This time, there’s another individual with roots in India – Usha Vance, the wife of JD Vance, who is former President Donald Trump’s running mate.
Kamala Harris traces her roots in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu where her mother, Shyamala Gopalan, was born. Shyamala went to the US to pursue a PhD at the University of California, Berkeley. There, she met Donald J. Harris, and the two got married in 1963. They had two daughters, Kamala Harris (born 1964) and Maya.
Meanwhile, Usha Chilukuri Vance was born to immigrant parents from Chilakaluripeta, Andhra Pradesh. She graduated from Yale University with a degree in History, then earned her M.Phil in Early Modern History from Columbia University, and a JD in Law from Yale Law School. She has worked in prestigious law firms and at the US Supreme Court as a legal clerk.
Undoubtedly, the Indian American Diaspora has traversed a long distance. The Indian American population is the second-largest immigrant group in the country after Mexicans. The US is also home to the second largest Indian Diaspora globally. Indian Americans are the wealthiest, most educated and law-abiding ethnic community in the US, a “model minority”. The community is evenly distributed across the country though there are more Indians in places like New York, New Jersey, Texas, California, and Chicago, and is highly organised. The number of Indian Americans in high political offices has been steadily increasing, whether it is in President Obama’s administration or in administrations across the country, including governorships.
The community’s political influence has grown over the years and it has played a key role in lobbying for Indian causes on Capitol Hill. In recent years, Indians have demonstrated their increasing political influence with the election of Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal and South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, Kamala Harris to name a few.
Realising the importance and the role of Indians in the elections, both the candidates are walking the tight rope in announcing schemes for the Indian immigrants, Trump has already announced ‘Green Card’ scheme for the under-graduates. Certainly, even the strongest country now realises the strength of India, not only as the land of snake charmers but as the country which leads the world digitally!
