Washington, D.C. The Alliance for US India Business (AUSIB) congratulates the people of India for demonstrating the strength of democracy in the country by casting votes in last Saturday’s election.

“The Indian people have carried out the largest exercise of democracy in the world,” said AUSIB president Sanjay Puri. “Over 700 million people were eligible to cast their vote in what is sure to be viewed as a watershed demonstration of government-by-the-people.”

AUSIB also congratulates Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the UPA coalition for their victory in the elections.

The continuity represented by the retention of Singh as prime minister signals a mandate that will lead to more consistency in policy. With a stronger coalition the incoming government should be able to quickly adopt reforms that have stalled under the previous government.

The mandate also bodes well for the ever-important relationship between  United States  and India. With a consistent policy in place, that relationship, which reached an important milestone under Singh with the U.S. India Nuclear Agreement, should continue to flourish and expand into other areas. The relationship will be important as India faced economic, regional, and security challenges.

AUSIB would also like to commend the work of the Election Commission of India. “They were dealing with an electorate more than twice the size of the U.S. population,” Puri said. “And they ran things smoothly and efficiently.”

About AUSIB
The Alliance for U.S.-India Business (AUSIB) is a trade association based in Washington, DC.  By drawing its strength from the Indian-American community, AUSIB is recognized today as one of the most influential trade groups working for increased commerce between the United States and India.  For more information, go to www.ausib.com.