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LA’s overseas Indians pitch in for Modi

Members of the Overseas Friends of the BJP held a 'Chai Pe Charcha" event for Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Irvine in April 2019.
Members of the Overseas Friends of the BJP held a 'Chai Pe Charcha" event for Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Irvine in April 2019.
(
Courtesy OFBJP-LA
)

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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is up for reelection. As head of the right-wing religious Bharatiya Janata Party, or BJP, he’s a polarizing figure in the world’s largest democracy.

But Modi’s “India First” economic reforms and promises to clean up India’s corruption and environment have made him popular, not just in India, but with many Indian-Americans in Los Angeles County. 

Although more than 60% of Indian Americans vote for Democrats in U.S. elections, India's far-right BJP has much more organized and vocal support here than its secular rival, the Indian National Congress.

Tens of thousands of Modi supporters have mobilized at local Hindu temples in Norwalk and Anaheim. They've also organized via Whatsapp groups, urging their friends and family members in India to vote for Modi in the election, which began April 11 and ends May 19.

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