New Delhi/Chennai:
The Indian links of some US presidential election candidates likely mean little additional benefit to ties, experts said, in the context of bipartisan support for closer ties with New Delhi to counter an assertive China.
Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris and Usha Chilukuri Vance, wife of Republican running mate Donald Trump, have rarely visited the birthplace of one or both of their parents, even though Indians take pride in their success.
“In any case, from India’s point of view, be it Republican or Democrat, this relationship enjoys bipartisan support and should not be affected,” said Harsh Vardhan Shringla, former Indian ambassador to the United States.
“It can only benefit,” he said of ties with India, adding: “(It) cannot be negatively affected.”
Given that ties with New Delhi are viewed favorably by both parties in Washington, there will be little impact on relations regardless of the winning party or the candidate’s Indian roots, a government official said on condition of anonymity.
Both President Joe Biden and Trump, his predecessor in office, sought to court India, not only to challenge China in the region, but also to move New Delhi away from traditional dependence on Russian weapons.
MODEL
Both Harris and Usha Vance, wife of Republican vice-presidential candidate JD Vance, have ties to South India. Vance belongs to a family of renowned academics.
Harris, who won the support of enough delegates to secure the Democratic nomination, is seen as a role model in her mother’s ancestral village, Thulasendrapuram.
She “proved how young women, previously confined to their homes, can reach such heights, becoming a public figure in the world’s No. 1 country,” said J Sudhakar, a resident of the village where Harris’s maternal grandfather was born.
“How big is this achievement?”
Harris, who visited the village when he was five years old, remembers walks with his grandfather on the beach in the city of Chennai, where the family later lived, about 200 miles from the village of about 2,000 people.
But she hasn’t returned since becoming vice president of the United States.
“Residents expected a visit, a statement or at least a mention of the village, but that didn’t happen,” said shopkeeper G. Manikandan.
“But we will invite her when she wins and organize a big celebration and welcome for her,” he added.
(Except the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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