Chennai:
A mock poll conducted by the US consulate in Chennai during the Chennai’s Election Watch programme favoured Obama highly.
Similarly, the programme, which was also conducted in Manipal and Thiruvananthapuram, included live election coverage on big screens; analysis and results from international TV feeds, an electronic tally board with an up-to-the-minute electoral college vote count and a mock polling booth, where guests could vote for their favourite candidate.
It also included displays of books and pamphlets on the US elections and library membership information, photo opportunities with life-size cutouts of the Presidential candidates, Facebook sign up and remarks by US Consulate officials on the election process.
Prominent personalities like former CBI Director R K Raghavan and former Chief Election Commissioner T S Krishnamurthy spoke on the impact of the elections on India, of a new administration vis-à-vis foreign policy, business relations, and bi-lateral relations. Quizzes on American Presidents at regular intervals.
Rashida Bamboot head of the secondary section in MSB Matriculation School in Broadway said Obama had worked for world peace and usher in democracy in Arab nations. He was also instrumental in strengthening educational ties with India, she said.
Eighteen of the students who came from the school, were very happy to see Obama winning the elections again.
Abeedha, a 10th standard student from Haider Garden Matriculation School, said Obama had brought in a change in America in all spheres, besides strengthening ties with India. Her teachers - Amba Sankari and Revathi Prabhakaran - felt that India should also follow a dual party system instead of multiparty system.
Interestingly, many of the students liked the way elections were conducted in the United States.
Former Chief Election Commissioner T S Krishnamurthy said India could take a leaf or two from the US elections on extending the right to vote to immigrants.
In the US, voting rights are extended to those born in the country or who had lived there for 14 years. But India did not follow any such system, he said, stressing the need for the same.
Krishnamurthy refused to back any candidate, stating that he was the former Chief Election Commissioner of India. He, however, said that Indians preferred Democrats as their policies were pro-India.
Raghavan hailed the re-election of Obama and said this would further boost Indo-US ties. He also highlighted the issues of outsourcing and cap on H1B visas during the Obama regime. The former CBI director also highlighted the role Obama played in hunting down Osama Bin Laden. He also said it was during his tenure that FBI was allowed to come to India. He said ties between various intelligence agencies in India and the US were continuing to grow and the exchange of intelligence had helped fight terror. Speaking through Digital Video Conference from New Delhi, US Ambassador to India Nancy Powell said, “Election Day in America, like in India, is a very special day. Ours is the oldest democracy in the world, and of course, India’s is the largest. On the way out of the polls, many will be offered a small sticker that says “I voted,” a subtle message to others they see later in the day. It is not a message about who they voted for, but a message of participation — a reminder to others that we the people have a responsibility to participate in our democracy.”
US Consul General Jennifer A McIntyre and Public Affairs Officer David Gainer expressed confidence that strategic ties between India and the United States will continue to grow during Obama’s second tenure.
Discussing the significance of elections in a vibrant democracy, Jennifer McIntyre said, “We are really excited that on this Election Day we are able to share our US democratic process with you, citizens of India – the world’s largest democracy. As we all know, democracies are only as strong as its participants. So it’s incumbent on all of us as citizens to not only participate in our elections, but also to be active contributors to our democracies every day.
A mock poll conducted by the US consulate in Chennai during the Chennai’s Election Watch programme favoured Obama highly.
Similarly, the programme, which was also conducted in Manipal and Thiruvananthapuram, included live election coverage on big screens; analysis and results from international TV feeds, an electronic tally board with an up-to-the-minute electoral college vote count and a mock polling booth, where guests could vote for their favourite candidate.
It also included displays of books and pamphlets on the US elections and library membership information, photo opportunities with life-size cutouts of the Presidential candidates, Facebook sign up and remarks by US Consulate officials on the election process.
Prominent personalities like former CBI Director R K Raghavan and former Chief Election Commissioner T S Krishnamurthy spoke on the impact of the elections on India, of a new administration vis-à-vis foreign policy, business relations, and bi-lateral relations. Quizzes on American Presidents at regular intervals.
Rashida Bamboot head of the secondary section in MSB Matriculation School in Broadway said Obama had worked for world peace and usher in democracy in Arab nations. He was also instrumental in strengthening educational ties with India, she said.
Eighteen of the students who came from the school, were very happy to see Obama winning the elections again.
Abeedha, a 10th standard student from Haider Garden Matriculation School, said Obama had brought in a change in America in all spheres, besides strengthening ties with India. Her teachers - Amba Sankari and Revathi Prabhakaran - felt that India should also follow a dual party system instead of multiparty system.
Interestingly, many of the students liked the way elections were conducted in the United States.
Former Chief Election Commissioner T S Krishnamurthy said India could take a leaf or two from the US elections on extending the right to vote to immigrants.
In the US, voting rights are extended to those born in the country or who had lived there for 14 years. But India did not follow any such system, he said, stressing the need for the same.
Krishnamurthy refused to back any candidate, stating that he was the former Chief Election Commissioner of India. He, however, said that Indians preferred Democrats as their policies were pro-India.
Raghavan hailed the re-election of Obama and said this would further boost Indo-US ties. He also highlighted the issues of outsourcing and cap on H1B visas during the Obama regime. The former CBI director also highlighted the role Obama played in hunting down Osama Bin Laden. He also said it was during his tenure that FBI was allowed to come to India. He said ties between various intelligence agencies in India and the US were continuing to grow and the exchange of intelligence had helped fight terror. Speaking through Digital Video Conference from New Delhi, US Ambassador to India Nancy Powell said, “Election Day in America, like in India, is a very special day. Ours is the oldest democracy in the world, and of course, India’s is the largest. On the way out of the polls, many will be offered a small sticker that says “I voted,” a subtle message to others they see later in the day. It is not a message about who they voted for, but a message of participation — a reminder to others that we the people have a responsibility to participate in our democracy.”
US Consul General Jennifer A McIntyre and Public Affairs Officer David Gainer expressed confidence that strategic ties between India and the United States will continue to grow during Obama’s second tenure.
Discussing the significance of elections in a vibrant democracy, Jennifer McIntyre said, “We are really excited that on this Election Day we are able to share our US democratic process with you, citizens of India – the world’s largest democracy. As we all know, democracies are only as strong as its participants. So it’s incumbent on all of us as citizens to not only participate in our elections, but also to be active contributors to our democracies every day.
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