New Delhi: The Bush administration's plan to make India a key future partner is reflected in the number of Indian Americans who are occupying various political positions.
With the community also making a headway in elections India could tap this group to build stronger bilateral ties.
Ajay Kuntamukkala, a 30-year-old lawyer at a reputed Washington DC law firm is a dedicated Republican and has spent a decade as a party worker.
The loyalty paid off in 2004 when Kuntamukkala was appointed as a senior aide to the Undersecretary in the US Department of Commerce.
"I always wanted to serve in the administration and when the opportunity came to be a political appointee I quickly grabbed it." Kuntamukkula says.
There are over 15 Indian-American political appointees working for the Bush administration. A record number of Indian-Americans are also working in the Capitol Hill with other US senators and Congressmen.
Varun Nikore, President, Indian American Leader Initiative who campaigns for Indian-American Democrats running for political office says their numbers are likely to increase in the future.
"It's developing as a career option and we have a long way to go. But I'm encouraged by the fact that we have got higher profile races in which we have several Indian Americans running for office. Namely in GA a guy is running for secretary of state and in Ohio we have a person running for attorney general-Subodh Chandra and both these have solid track record in politics." Nikore, says.
However, there is a lot of ground to cover. The country is yet to see an elected Indian-American governor, attorney general or even a judge.
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