By Shivaji Sarkar
America finally woke up. A bluenami, as Democrat tsunami termed, hit for ushering in a change during the mid-term Congress elections of Senate and House of Representatives. An election it indeed was. Democrats replaced Republicans, the party President Donald Trump belongs to, in places where they never could do it.
India can take satisfaction that 28 persons of Indian origin have gone to Congress. Would that change American diplomacy? Or its approach to India? Possibly not much. They are of Indian origin but American citizens.
American interests are prime for them Trump or not. Those who are in a dreamland expecting better, softer treatment from the new regime or free Russian oil, yet to surpass Trump’s veto regime, could be in for a shock. In a changed scenario, they could expect renegotiations. It depends on India how it could extract the best.
America has usually taken care of its citizens with affordable costs, a matching salary for an easy, even if not comfortable, life. Trump’s crazy, brash politics changed that with wars and high petrol costs. The mid-term elections clarified that the American people do not support that. Their will prevailed and Indians took a sigh of relief as international fuel prices slumped.
Meanwhile, Union Minister for Panchayati Raj, Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Rajiv Ranjan Singh announced that elector’s photo identity cards (EPIC/voter ID) combined with biometric authentication—rather than universal Aadhaar—will be used to identify beneficiaries and process payments for welfare schemes. As crores of names are deleted from the electoral list, many would be deprived of the benefits.
The simple logic – vote gone, rights gone and duties prevented! This could recoil on the economy apart from causing social unhappiness. Troubles that Americans have overcome could go deeper for Indians. The corporate world itself is shaky, if not in turmoil, The governance battle of the Tatas, begun in-house, enmeshing into a tinge of wider politics may have deeper consequences.
The IDBI sale is no less a concern. The pre-Diwali stock run would have positive consequences if post-Diwali stock prices and foreign portfolio investments maintain the flow. India certainly needs a better treatment from the US be it tariffs, technology or trade terms. America benefited immensely from the rush of Indian talent to the US.
Now it expects favourable congressional oversight for disentangling about 300,000 workers and student visas. With Democrats taking control of both chambers, executive decision-making faces stronger checks, signalling a transition toward multilateral dialogue and structured negotiations between New Delhi and Washington.
Meanwhile, Manipur continues to burn. Ethnic killings are routine since May 3, 2023. It has caused many civilian protests, but the voices are not shrill. The state mechanism is apparently muted.The people have not reacted much on calls for better ties with neighbouring countries.
Nor they taken initiatives to foster relations among sub-continen tal/SAARC countries. The 18th SAARC Summit in Kathmandu (November 2014) saw member states trying to chart a course toward a unified “South Asian Economic Union”.
However, rising political friction and cross-border security standoffs between India and Pakistan ultimately froze operations after this period, leading to a decade-long deadlock from which the formal economic framework never fully recovered.
A divided government in Washington could constrain Trump’s domestic agenda, but its implications for India are mixed. The US election has coincided with a stronger rupee. Investors have also reportedly shifted over $2 billion into Indian equities amid uncertainty over US technology stocks.
Geopolitics from West Asia—the Arab world and Iran—to Ukraine and Europe remains fluid. For India, the challenge is to navigate these shifting power equations while safeguarding its energy security, trade interests and strategic autonomy.
The Democratic victory does not automatically guarantee an early trade deal or relief on Russian oil. India has to chart its own course.
