WASHINGTON: A record 30 Indian-Americans are contesting Tuesday's US elections that will determine the course of power politics in the last two years of President Barack Obama's term in office.

Nearly three million people of Indian descent with an ever growing number of officials in high places,are better educated, earn more than other Americans, but haven't had much of an impact on national politics though they have two state governors and a lawmaker in the House.

No Indian-American is running for any of the 36 seats, including three special elections, up for ballot in the 100 member Senate where Obama's Democratic Party is facing the prospect of losing its 53-45 majority with two Independents in the mix. But four of them are vying for a two-year term in the House where all 435 seats are up for election.

In a divided US Congress, Opposition Republicans currently control the House with a 233-199 lead. Poll pundits expect the Republicans to keep their lead if not increase it.

Prominent among Desi contestants to the House are Democrat Amerish 'Ami' Bera, who two years ago became only the third Indian-American lawmaker in US history -after Dalip Singh Saund and Bobby Jindal- and a former Obama administration official Rohit 'Ro' Khanna.

Bera, whose parents immigrated from Rajkot, Gujarat, received a big boost in his tight re-election race against Republican businessman Doug Ose in California's 7th district with former President Bill Clinton coming to stump for him last week

In the battle for Silicon Valley, Khanna, former deputy assistant secretary in Commerce department, is giving a run for his money to veteran fellow Democrat Mike Honda, who has held the seat for the last 14 years.

Khanna, who has won the backing of Yahoo's Marissa Mayer and Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg in this home of tech titans, in a recent interview to IANS called it "the best pick up opportunity for an Indian American in the country."
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Source: IANS