In the US, there is a bipartisan support to Washington’s relations with New Delhi and it is expected to deepen further

With Democratic candidate Joe Biden projected as the winner of the US Presidential elections, foreign policy experts and diplomats believe that India-US ties are strong enough to continue to grow despite a change.

“India-US relations rest on strong foundations and our relations encompass every possible sphere extending from strategic to defence to investment to trade and people-to-people ties,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said.

He further said, “the comprehensive global strategic partnership has very strong bipartisan support in the US, and successive presidents and administrations have raised the level of this relationship even higher.”

Recently, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla also reiterated that “irrespective of the political dispensation in power in Washington or in New Delhi our relations with the United States will continue to be strong and robust, even stronger and ever more robust as we go along,” while speaking at an event in the UK.

Just before the elections, India and the US held the third edition of the ‘2+2’ dialogue between the political leadership in charge of foreign policy and defense portfolios.

Both countries also signed the third foundational agreement, the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA), which paved the way for access to confidential technology.

Meanwhile, if the Democratic presidential candidate Biden, who is closer to winning the elections, according to the polls, takes the lead in the US, the relationship between both sides is likely to further.

A Democrat administration is likely to go back to the drawing board on the US-Iran nuclear deal, opening up not just Iranian oil but also strategic space for India with Iran in the Middle East. Biden’s presidency may also look differently at the Paris Agreement, visas for Indian workers, and so on.

In fact, in an interview with The Hindu earlier this year, Former US Ambassador to India Richard Verma had said that Biden would be a strong advocate for the US-India partnership.

Considering everything, Biden and India are likely to be on the same page, if he takes presidential charge in the US.