Image source: AFP via Getty Images
Voting for midterm elections in America is to be held on November 3.
Early voting has also started for this election. According to rough estimates, it is being claimed that four crore Americans have cast their votes.
But, the elections are to be held on November 3 and the counting of votes will start as soon as the elections are over.
If we look at India, the election results will start coming on the morning of November 4. Obviously, along with the whole world, India is also keeping an eye on this election.
Actually, voting is to be held for 435 seats of the House of Representatives of America i.e. the lower house and 35 seats of the Senate i.e. the upper house.
At present, Trump's Republican Party has majority in both the houses. Whereas, the Democrats need a net gain of four seats each to gain control in both the houses.
This midterm election is not only a test of President Trump's popularity, but also a test of his control in the US Congress.
If Trump's Republican Party loses majority in both the houses in these elections, then it will be a bit difficult for him to pass decisions.
End
Now the question is that by changing the position of the Houses, will India be able to get relief on issues like tariffs, H-1B visas and buying oil from Russia?
What are midterm elections?
Image source: Getty Images
Big news from the country and the world that made headlines.
episode
These elections fall in the middle of the four-year term of the President, that is why they are called midterm.
The US Congress has two parts, the first is the House of Representatives and the second is the Senate.
An important function of Congress is to make and pass federal laws. These are such laws which are applicable in the entire country.
The results of the midterm elections will decide whether Trump's party or the opposition Democrats will control the US Congress.
These results are also being considered as a measure of how happy the American people are with President Trump's work so far.
If we talk about the House of Representatives, then all 435 members of the lower house of Congress will be elected in this election. The tenure of House members is two years. Generally, proposed laws are presented in the House and they are debated there.
Talking about the current situation of the House, out of 435 seats, Republicans have 219 seats. Whereas the Democrats hold 214 seats. Two seats are currently vacant.
Whereas elections will be held on 35 out of 100 seats of the 'Senate' i.e. the upper house. Elected senators serve a term of six years. He approves or vetoes the proposed laws received from the House.
Republicans hold 53 out of 100 seats in the upper house. Democrats hold 45 seats. The Democratic Party also has the support of 2 independent senators.
On November 3, voters in most parts of America will also elect state level leaders.
Among these, the most discussed are the governor elections to be held in California, Florida, Georgia and Michigan.
In whose favor is the wind in the midterm elections?
In the past too, American voters have been voting against the President to teach his party a 'lesson'. And recent surveys show that the approval rating of the current President is low.
According to polling website Silver Bulletin, he started his second term with an approval rating of slightly more than 50 percent. But in the beginning of October it came down to about 37 percent. During this time, 61 percent people disliked him.
However, there is not a tough contest on all the seats of every House. Some seats are considered safe for Republicans or Democrats.
This time, BBC's American affiliate CBS News has marked ten Senate seats in states like Iowa and New Hampshire and 42 House seats in states like Arizona and Ohio as hotly contested seats.
What impact will India have if Trump's party has fewer MPs?
If the number of Republican Party members in the US Parliament decreases, what effect can it have on America's relations with India?
To understand this, let us know how the relations between America and India have been during both the tenures of Trump.
India has been getting support from both the parties in America. Nevertheless, the Indian government has made many big agreements with Republican presidents.
India had the same expectations from Trump's tenure. The relations between PM Modi and Trump have also looked better. During the first term, the Prime Minister had even called Trump India's best friend in the White House.
From India's perspective, Trump's second term has been full of ups and downs. So different that the Indian government has even changed the way it deals.
On many occasions he has openly reacted to the statements of the White House.
During the tariff deal itself, America put pressure on India to open its market more to American agricultural products and dairy goods.
At the same time, when India asked for exemption in tariffs for its agriculture and medicine exports, America refused to accept it.
According to experts, the biggest criticism of the tariff is that it is going to benefit America more and will hit the pockets of Indians.
India's External Affairs Minister Dr. S. during an 'Asia Society' event in New York in September 2026. Jaishankar had criticized America, especially the Trump administration, on the issue of terrorism and trade policies.
Jaishankar had said that if our ally does not understand our concerns, then it will clearly affect the relations between the two countries.
Experts say that this is not the only issue where both the countries have come face to face and disagreements have been seen between the two countries in many matters.
conflict over tariffs
Talking about the conflict with India during Trump's second term, the issue of 'tariff' has been the most discussed.
The Trump administration has repeatedly criticized India's high import tariffs and even called India a 'tariff king'.
In the name of Reciprocal Tariff, America imposed heavy tariffs on many important exports of India. This includes steel, aluminium, textiles and jewellery.
During this time, America had also abolished the special exemption given to India under the Generalized System of Preferences i.e. GSP.
Due to this exemption, Indian goods were sold in the American market without tariffs.
Recently, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio came to India's financial capital Mumbai, but he did not go to the country's capital Delhi. During this period, he discussed the relations between the two countries, but the focus of the visit appeared to be more on business.
Rubio said in an interview to 'The Indian Express' that no tariff is meant to punish or harm India. According to him, America's major foreign policy also includes the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.
It is clear from Rubio's statement that America considers the relationship with India important and calls the tariff not a punishment but a part of the policy related to the Russia-Ukraine war. The threat of tariffs has not been completely eliminated.
Immigration and visa related issues
India's technology is a direct impact of the policies made in the name of saving American jobs. It affected the industry and Indians settled in America.
A large portion of H-1B visas go to Indian tech professionals. In such a situation, strict scrutiny of applications, high rejections and proposals to increase fees or impose additional charges have affected big Indian IT companies like TCS, Infosys and Wipro.
Strict action was taken against undocumented immigrants. In this, many Indians were sent back, which was widely criticized in India.
The second issue is about trade with Russia, India follows the policy of its own interests on the supply chain of petroleum and energy and this has been in conflict with the American foreign policy.
India kept buying cheap crude oil from Russia and America kept putting pressure on it again and again.
Threats were also made to impose tariffs on countries purchasing Russian energy.
What is the stance of American lawmakers on relations with India?
Image source: World Affairs Council
Some experts have different opinions regarding America-India relations.
Milan Vaishnav, director of the South Asia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP) think tank in Washington, told Al Jazeera, "There are many Democrats and Republican lawmakers in the Senate who are angry with the way the Trump administration is handling US-India relations."
"Even though he criticizes India's politics, economics and foreign policy, he truly believes in the logic of a strong US-India partnership.
Milan Vaishnav said, "Democrat MPs can adopt a soft stance regarding India."
Regarding the results of the midterm elections, Michael Kugelman, an expert on South Asia at the Wilson Center, a Washington-based think tank, told Al Jazeera, "He doubts that Trump's foreign policy will be affected by the election results. When it comes to India, change is difficult."
"Trump cannot legally contest elections for a third term. He will continue to pursue policies that will benefit America in dealing with New Delhi."
However, if Trump's party becomes weak in both the houses, then the support of the opposition will be needed to pass the law. And there are many such policies of Trump, which the Democrats have openly opposed. In such a situation, India can get relief on issues like tariffs.
Published by Collective Newsroom for the BBC.
Download the new BBC World Service app
Choose BBC News Hindi and get news alerts, live TV, podcasts... all in one place
Please note: The new app is not available in the UK and US.
Learn more
short video
end of short video
