US Elections 2024: 'Most fabulous Diwali gift for Hindus, Bharat': Shalabh Kumar, Trump's close aide, to THE WEEK

As Donald Trump inches closer to victory in the US presidential race, excitement is palpable within the Republican camp and among Trump supporters.

In the electoral college count, as of now, Trump has 266 votes when compared to Harris's 195, with each candidate pulling out all the stops to reach the crucial figure of 270.

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With Trump winning battleground state of Georgia, Pennsylvania and North Carolina, and leading in Wisconsin and Michigan, it is almost certain now that he is going to be the 47th president of the US.

"America has spoken. This is a fantastic victory [for Trump]. Hindus and Bharat have gotten the most fabulous Diwali gift," said Shalabh Kumar, a prominent Indian American supporter of Trump and founder of the Republican Hindu Coalition (RHC), to THE WEEK.

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Last week, Kumar spearheaded a mega $1.2 million campaign that was aimed at mobilising Hindu American and Indian American voters in Trump's favour. A Chicago-based industrialist, Kumar is seen as as Trump's most-liked Indian American. Over the years Kumar, has been the principal architect of Trump's outreach to the Indian American community.

In August 2016, some months before Trump took over as president, Kumar was appointed chairman of the Indian Advisory Board for Trump's campaign. He spearheaded the "Abki bar Trump Sarkar' initiative, adapted from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 2014 slogan, to appeal to Hindu and Indian voters. The campaign had an advertisement where Trump spoke in Hindi, expressing his huge admiration for India and Hindus.

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Later, to further engage Hindu Americans with the Republican Party, the party's national committee established the Hindu and Indian American Coalition with Kumar at the helm. With an estimated six million Hindu Americans in the US, there are around 3.3 million registered voters.

In an earlier interaction with THE WEEK, Kumar had said that Harris hardly acknowledges her Indian roots. He said he looked forward to J.D. Vance becoming the US president in 2028. "And Usha Vance will be the first lady. She has a great influence on Vance," said Kumar.