Vijay Chauthaiwale, a politician belonging to India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its foreign policy chief, took to Twitter on Wednesday soon after it became apparent that incumbent US President Donald Trump had clinched the battleground state of Florida. The southern state comprises 29 electorate votes in the 538-strong US Electoral College, the third highest after Texas and California.
Chauthaiwale, who was a key figure behind Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Howdy Modi event in Houston last year, made no secret of where his loyalties lie.
Like boss, like his subordinate. Mike Bloomberg spent 100 Million USD in Florida and still Biden lost. @andymukherjee70 keeps his rant against PM Modi uncontrolled and loses everytime. @business @bopinion
— Dr Vijay Chauthaiwale (@vijai63) November 4, 2020
The BJP leader’s preference for Trump was shared by many Indian social media users, with most of them also staunch backers of PM Modi.
Why Pennsylvania and Georgia have halted their counts?
— Rishi Bagree (@rishibagree) November 4, 2020
Just because it started breaking in favour of Trump. #USElection
Meanwhile, many well-known Indians who had hoped for a Democrat victory started grudgingly to admit that Trump enjoys great popularity among American voters.
I'm not a mathematician, but it looks to me that Trump has already won more votes in total - and there are still votes to come in - than he won in 2016.
— Vijay Prashad (@vijayprashad) November 4, 2020
Whether he wins or not he will be the President of the Confederate States of America.
My hope for #Trump rests on only one pillar - @TheEconomist had predicted a landslide win for #JoeBiden. God bless America. #USAElections2020
— GhoseSpot (@SandipGhose) November 4, 2020
The reactions come against the backdrop of Trump strengthening his position in what is turning out to be a nail-biting presidential contest.
In fact, Trump emerged as the bookie's favourite to clinch the Presidential race for the first time since 2 September, according to betting information site Odds Shark.
Trump has already won the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Texas, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming.
Biden, on the other hand, has won Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Virginia, Vermont, New Mexico, New York, Colorado, the District of Columbia, New Hampshire, California, Oregon, Washington, Hawaii, Minnesota, Arizona and Maine. That leaves seven states stil to declare.
According to the US Elections Project at the University of Florida, nearly 96 million American voters cast their ballot before election night.
