India closely watching Indian origin candidates in US polls

Six Indian-origin candidates have India closely watching this US election, as India's diaspora continues to grow in influence in America.

According to India's DNA newspaper, Dr Ami Bera, the Democratic Party candidate from California's seventh Congressional District, has the best chance of winning a Congressional seat out of the six Indian-Americans vying for a seat in the House of Representatives.

So far, only two Indian-Americans have been elected to the US Congress. Dalip Singh Saund was the first Indian-American elected to the House of Representatives in 1950s, while Bobby Jindal, now the Louisiana Governor, was the second, DNA noted.

The Indian-origin candidate with the second best shot is Republican Ricky Gill, from California's ninth Congressional District, the paper said.

After Gill, a weak Republican candidate in Michigan's 11th Congressional District has brightened the chances of Democratic Dr Syed Taj, who hails from Bihar and is the younger brother of Syed Shahbuddin, a noted Muslim scholar, DNA reports.

Read on here for the full list and comparative stats on the fund-raising efforts of the candidates.