Many rooting for Kamala, many are diehard Trump fans

Kochi: If you thought the Indians in the US are rallying en masse behind Democratic party's candidate Kamala Harris in the presidential elections because of her roots in Tamil Nadu, you are wrong. Even the Malayali diaspora is quite divided in its support with many hoping for Donald Trump's victory. Some are campaigning for the Republican candidate.
A group of Malayali Americans who are campaigning for Trump held a meeting in Houston. Ayoor, Kollam, native Dan Mathews, who is the chairman of the Texas Conservative Forum, said: "Certain South Indian groups support Harris and believe that having someone of Indian descent would be ideal. The truth is that she has little regard for Indians. Also, not all Indians favour Indian candidates," said Mathews.
Vinson Xavier is a hardcore Republican hoping for Trump's victory. Hailing from Champakkara in Kochi, he caught the attention globally when he carried the Indian flag during the Capitol Hill siege. He clarified back then that he did so to show Indian Americans' support for Trump and that he was not part of the violence inside the building. Xavier said Trump surviving the assassination bid and his never-give-up attitude gave strong momentum to the campaign.
"Now, I'm being invited again to the friend circles which I lost due to the Capitol Hill incident. At a recent conference in Houston where Keralite American leaders gathered, I felt an energy I hadn't felt before. We organised a rally at Fort Bend County to inspire Indian Americans to understand the critical importance of this elections and the need to support Trump to keep America the great nation we once sought from across the oceans," said Xavier.
However, Binoy Thomas, who has already exercised his franchise through early voting in the state of Wisconsin, a swing state, believes Harris will register a resounding win. "Campaign is strong in Wisconsin because it is a swing state. Last time, Democrats won it by a narrow margin. Though ours is a small community here, the value of our votes is significant. The Malayali community in our region is quite supportive of Harris. Women voters and new voters favour her, and so do various communities," said Thomas, who hails from Edathua.