The verdict is out. We have witnessed history being made. The citizens of India have given their mandate. It is after 30 years that a party has won the elections riding on the power of absolute majority. Clearly what no one had imagined, NaMo had foreseen. As the Congress nose dived to a crushing defeat, it was the turn of Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) to smile their way to the bank.

The pundits had predicted a BJP win and all the experts had tipped Narendra Modi to become the next Prime Minister, but no one had imagined such a phenomenal margin of victory. Coalition governance which had become a norm for the last 2 odd decades was thrown out of the window as the voters took a dip in the NaMo wave and in turn ensured a phenomenal win for BJP.

Giving its own twist to the election flavor was US India Political Action Committee (USINPAC), which came up with the innovative idea of conducting a series of trailblazing election calls with a series of election experts to give the Indian Americans a slice of what it feels to be in the midst of a great spectacle. Week after week experts of the ilk of Kanwal Sibal, Yashwant Deshmukh, Shahid Siddiqui, Madhav Nalpat and Jagdeep Chhokar amongst many others discussed their views and ideas about the Indian Elections. The calls were a resounding success and gave the Indian Americans a ringside view of the Indian Elections.

Carrying that trend ahead, USINPAC has now introduced a series of calls which would further analyze the post election fever and connect you to experts who will not just tell you what really happened, but will also help decode the cabinet. The calls will focus on who will form a part of the new cabinet under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the different portfolios on offer and who are the most suitable candidates. The calls would also shed light on the impact of the elections and how Delhi would welcome a new government. USINPAC promises to bring you prominent leaders and a great panel of experts who will discuss in detail the road ahead.

With the first series of calls turning out to be such a raging success, the new series of calls are all set to witness an even better response. As Sanjay Puri, Chairman, USINPAC says, “After the BJP’s thumping victory, the policy makers, businessmen, and investors would keenly be observing the next course of action which Modi’s government takes. Like our last series of calls, through this initiative we aim to provide a better understanding of India to our U.S. members so that bilateral relations which are seeing a rocky present have a cooperative future.”

This week the expert will be Dr Sudhanshu Trivedi who is the National Spokesperson for BJP & the Political Advisor to BJP President Rajnath Singh  . To register for the call, click here.

US Senator John McCain has congratulated Narendra Modi and his party on the resounding electoral success in the Lok Sabha elections and hoped to work with his government to revitalise bilateral relations.

“I congratulate Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party for their resounding success in India’s election — an election that was, by itself, a powerful and inspiring demonstration of the vibrancy of the world’s largest democracy,” McCain said.

McCain, the Republican presidential candidate in the 2004 elections, said: “the successful rise of India as a prosperous nation and a democratic great power is fundamentally in America’s national interest. I look forward to working with Mr Modi and his government to revitalise and expand the immense promise of the US—India strategic partnership.”

Meanwhile, the popular Time magazine also lauded Modi on his spectacular win in the elections.

“Narendra Modi won India’s national elections by a virtually unprecedented parliamentary super-majority, routing the ruling Congress Party,” it said.

Source: The Hindu Business Line

U.S. Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02) released the following statement on the results of the Indian election that concluded earlier this week:

“I recently spoke with Narendra Modi by phone and congratulated him and the Bharatiya Janata party for winning a majority vote in India’s Lok Sabha. This election was an extraordinary achievement for the 550 million Indians who voted over the course of six weeks in some 930,000 polling locations. I look forward to working with Mr. Modi and other members of the Indian government toward our mutual goals of peace, stability, and economic growth in the Asia-Pacific region. A partnership between the world’s two largest and greatest democracies is necessary for us to successfully address the many global challenges we face, including economic growth, bilateral trade, the environment, terrorism, and security.”

Congressman Joseph Crowley reacted to the results of the Indian Elections, which were finally tallied this week.

I am pleased to see that the democratic process in India works. Over 700 million people voted, an over 80% turnout. The legacy of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty, which founded the modern State of India that thrives today, is alive and well and greatly respected by the showing in this most recent election.

I congratulate the Congress Party for their strong showing in the election. The new government must keep the peace negotiations with Pakistan on track, to ensure that the violence and deaths of innocents completely ceases. As the party that originated the first economic changes under Prime Minister Rao that enabled India and the Indian economy to develop to the level that it is today, I am sure that the Congress party will continue the strong economic growth that India has experienced under the leadership of the BJP. In order for India to grow, more Indians’ daily standard of living and income must improve, and I call upon the Congress Party to make today’s 400 million strong middle class into tomorrow’s 800 million strong and growing middle class. As Democratic chair of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans, I look forward to working with the new government and Prime Minister, continuing to advance and strengthen the ties between the US and India,” said Congressman Crowley.

“Today is a victory for India,” Ranking Member Eni Faleomavaega said. “History will remember India’s 2014 elections as unprecedented. I will remember the 2014 elections as a triumph. The people of India have triumphed, and I join with them in congratulating India’s next Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, on this momentous occasion.”

“The election was hard-fought. But Shri Modi unified the nation with new hope, new ideas, and a campaign focused on development and good governance. As a token of friendship and in commemoration of the fulfillment of his destiny to lift up the masses, assure social justice, and bring new hope for any and all who, like him, step forward and transform challenges into opportunities by sheer strength of character and courage, a flag was flown over the United States Capitol at my request in honor of him on April 7, 2014, to mark victory’s dawn.”

“I agree with Shri Modi that India should journey forward – that now is the right time to look ahead. Shri Modi is a man of vision and he, together with each and every citizen of India, will create something special – an India that will assume its destined role.”

“I pay tribute to Shri Modi for his clarion call for change, to save a nation from ruin. I applaud his leadership and will recognize his victory – the people’s victory – in the Congressional Record next week when the U.S. Congress goes back into session. A statement in the Congressional Record becomes part of U.S. history and I firmly believe Shri Narendra Modi should be included not only in the annals of India’s history but U.S. history, too, because he was elected with a resounding victory despite the U.S. using every recourse it could to disrupt his destiny.”

“The U.S.-India partnership should be, could be, one of the most defining of the 21st century. But, I am disappointed that the United States failed to develop a strong friendship and comprehensive partnership with Shri Narendra Modi when it mattered most. U.S.-India relations matter strategically, politically, and economically. Consequently, the United States should have been a fair and honest broker about human rights. Regrettably, the United States missed the mark by responding one way to the 2002 riots and another way to the largest ethnic cleansing since the partition of India in which between 300,000 to 500,000 Kashmiri Hindus have migrated due to persecution.”

“Nonetheless, as Shri Narendra Modi assumes his mantle as India’s next Prime Minister, I have every confidence he will cut across caste, creed and religion and bring alive the dreams of a billion Indians, and a world that needs his leadership. I am inspired by his path-breaking campaign and I praise the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) for working shoulder-to-shoulder with Shri Modi to ensure that the spirit of democracy has triumphed.”

“I also commend Mr. Sanjay Puri, Founder and President of USINPAC, for championing the cause and work of Shri Narendra Modi early on in the U.S. Congress when India’s soon-to-be Prime Minister was the Chief Minister of Gujarat. On May 22, 2014, in the U.S. Capitol, Mr. Puri will host the first seminar on the U.S.-India post-election landscape with invited speakers from the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House of Representatives, the State Department, and video messages from BJP President Rajnath Singh and BJP Head of Opposition Arun Jaitley, both whom I also commend for their hard work and tireless efforts in advancing a successful campaign.”

“I extend my kindest regards to the voters of India and to those from both parties who participated in such an historic election. I welcome the outcome as I have met with Shri Modi and know him to be a sincere man who stands against corruption and for inclusive growth and development. And so, once more, I congratulate Shri Narendra Modi and the parents who gave rise to him. As Shri Modi leaves soon to seek his mother’s blessings, I wish him Godspeed on his poetic journey forward from son of a tea seller to landslide victor to next Prime Minister of India,” Faleomavaega concluded.