Who is Usha Vance? Indian-American wife of Trump’s running mate evokes pride in India

US presidential candidate Donald Trump’s selection of J.D. Vance as his running mate is creating excitement in India as the potential vice-president has praised his Indian-American wife Usha Chilukuri Vance for her support.

Trump is seen by some political observers as the front-runner in the November election following a failed assassination attempt on him last week. Meanwhile, his Democrat rival, President Joe Biden, is battling poor health amid calls by critics and some Democrats for him to drop out of the race after his lacklustre performance against Trump during a recent debate.

The political elevation of 39-year-old Vance has prompted Indian media outlets to focus on his wife’s family roots.

Chilukuri Vance, a 38-year-old corporate lawyer who used to be a registered Democrat, is the daughter of Indian immigrants and a practising Hindu. Soon after Trump announced Vance as his running mate, Chilukuri Vance resigned from her San Francisco-based law firm Munger, Tolles & Olson to “focus on caring for our family”, according to a report by PEOPLE.

Analysts do not expect Chilukuri Vance to play any direct role in supporting her husband’s election campaign.

“If Trump wins, we will have a US vice-president whose wife is of Indian origin. Since yesterday, there have been talks about Biden’s health, and if he were to bow out, [Vice-President] Kamala Harris could well be the nominee,” said Vivek Mishra, fellow Americas at the Observer Research Foundation. Harris’ mother, Shyamala Gopalan, was a Tamil Indian biologist who furthered her studies in the US.

Chilukuri Vance’s Indian roots are viewed with pride in her ancestral home as an endorsement of the growing prominence of Indian Americans in the US. Among them are former US