By Aditya Vikram Singh:
WITH US Presidential polls reaching the last lap, as USA goes to the hustings on Tuesday, the final countdown have begun in the much debated US presidential elections which will determine the fate of the incumbent President and the Republican nominee Donald Trump and the former two term US Vice President and the Democratic Party nominee Joe Biden.
Although initial voting patterns exhibit a Democratic surge in favor of Joe Biden and Trump in declining mode, however, speculations are ripe enough if the incumbent President Donald Trump will emerge as a dark horse in the final voting, and pull it back for his second term at the Oval Office, even if only marginally or by a wafer thin majority, experts say.
According to an estimate, nine million active cases of Covid-19 in USA have been reported ever since coronavirus broke in USA and other parts of the globe. Of these, approximately 2,30,000 American citizens have succumbed to the Covid- 19 pandemic.
INSIGHT:
Although initial voting patterns exhibit a Democratic surge in favor of Joe Biden and Trump in declining mode, however, speculations are ripe enough if the incumbent President Donald Trump will emerge as a dark horse in the final voting, and pull it back for his second term at the Oval Office, even if only marginally or by a wafer thin majority, experts say
Right from inception when the poll process commenced, the Democratic Party nominee Joe Biden has turned the presidential poll into a public health debate, accusing President Donald Trump of failing the American people and throwing them into Coronavirus epidemic, while Trump, on his part has counter claimed that he has most efficiently managed and controlled the virus, and would take all necessary steps to eradicate the Covid-19. Both Trump and Biden are trading charges against each other, and trying to woo the public vote in their last ditch efforts to win the US Presidency.
HIGHLIGHT:
According to an estimate, nine million active cases of Covid-19 in USA have been reported ever since coronavirus broke in USA and other parts of the globe. Of these, approximately 2,30,000 American citizens have succumbed to the Covid- 19 pandemic
Going strong in his anti-China rhetoric and sharply critical of the poll agenda of Joe Biden, the US President Donald Trump lambasted Joe Biden for being soft on China. Biden is said to have a softer approach both on China and India. Biden in poll campaign speeches alleged that President Donald Trump was misleading the US public on matters of health, especially regarding coronavirus, which Trump refer as the China virus.
Although Democratic Party is said to have gained enough support for its party candidate Joe Biden in state where the Democrats have their traditional votes, however, Trump supporters don’t take the corona epidemic seriously and are expected to turn up at polling in huge chunks.
The coronavirus has caused a global health crisis and both Trump and Biden offer different narratives for the same. While Biden allege Trump has destroyed public health, Trump says, he has protected the US economy in the wake of coronavirus. He also said he will eradicate the coronavirus more quickly if he returned to the White House.
THE TRUMP’S HOPE:
Trump is said to have some hidden vote bank, who are pro nationalistic in their approach and could play pivotal role to swing the polls during the last day polling, experts pointed out
According to experts, in 2016 presidential elections, Hillary Clinton lost to Trump by slim votes because she didn’t campaign in some Democrats-dominant states because she got overconfident and took those states for granted. But realising those mistakes, Joe Biden has carried out sustained campaigns in such areas, which has inspired traditional Democrats voters to turn out in large chunks leading to early democratic surge in the run up to the presidential elections.
However, the ultimate surprise lies ahead as the US people go to polls on the last day of US presidential elections on November 3. Trump is said to have some hidden vote bank, who are pro nationalistic in their approach and could play pivotal role to swing the polls during the last day polling, experts pointed out.
A renowned US policy expert and former India ambassador to United States of America, Neeraj Shrivastava said that the US presidential polling will also be impacted by existing Indo – Pacific situations visit a vis US relations in South East Asia. He added that Democrats’nominee for the Vice President Kamla Harris will also play significant role in the poll by apealing to the Indian and African communities, who total up to approximately 14 percent votes, and thereby drawing votes for the Democrat candidate Joe Biden.
Another eminent scholar expert Prof Harsh V Pant, Trump is very categorical in US relationships with China and India, besides most of the world, which will definitely have a say in the US presidential polls. Trump has a wider consensus and is running his election campaign particularly on anti-China rhetorics and emotions, while Joe Biden also needed to build an intra-party consensus within the Democrats, his own party, which will be a test of leadership for Biden. Joe Biden has to deal with intra-democratic party concerns of members who are progressive-left- conservative.
Prof Pant mentioned that the Indian-American community will also play significant role. He added that Kamla Harris is a force to reckon with, and she will play crucial and important role, as Indian community has huge presence in USA. Pant pointed out that the Indian diaspora has largely and traditionally voted Democrats,. Besides, Kamla Harris has also projected herself as African American as African American community has much larger prsence in US.
As the USA has geared itself for the final voting on Tuesday November 3, the Russian interference in the US polls has not been completely ruled out. It’s worth mentioning that the 2016 USA presidential poll was marred by controversies surrounding Russian interference by Vladimir Putin, which Trump denied during his full four year.
Prof Pant said that essentially, the elections are quite tight and narrow and it’s quite difficult to make the exact projector as to who would it to the Oval Office in neck to neck and head to head US presidential fight, till the last vote is cast and counted.
The die is cast for the final polling on November 3, Tuesday, in the several months long American presidential election process, however, only last day of polling will decide who is the dark horse. Will incumbent Donald Trump, who is being written off in various media reports and surveys, emerge as the underdog and pull it back? Or the two term Vice President Joe Biden is able to make a turn-around for himself and finally reach the Oval Office, by January 20, 2021, when the new US President inaugurates the office and takes oath.
(Author Aditya Vikram Singh is a senior journalist, currently associated with Democratic Accent as Special Correspondent. He is well-known for his hard-hitting stories and investigative reporting, and has extensive experience in all important beats. He had previously worked with reputed groups such as Indian Express and Hindustan Times.)
