India should engage with both Trump and Democratic leadership after US midterm polls: Report

New Delhi/Washington, November 9 (IANS): With Democrats securing victory in the 2026 US midterm elections, New Delhi’s immediate diplomatic challenge is to steer clear of the intensifying political tussle between the White House and Congress. India must continue to command the confidence of the US President while retaining the trust of US lawmakers at Capitol Hill, a report has stated.

It noted that this should be viewed not as political opportunism but as a practical response to the realities of the US constitutional structure.

“The Democratic victory in the 2026 US midterm elections will complicate President Donald Trump’s final two years in office. For India, the challenge is to sustain a productive relationship with the White House while strengthening its political constituency in a Congress now controlled by Democrats,” former Indian diplomat Sanjay Kumar Verma wrote in ‘India Narrative.'

“The Democrats have captured both the House of Representatives and the Senate, ending Republican control of Congress. For Trump, this is a substantial setback. It would, however, be premature to interpret the result as a wholesale rejection of his political philosophy or of every objective he has pursued in foreign policy,” he added.

Verma said that the crucial question was how the new political equation would shape US international engagement, as Trump retained considerable authority over diplomacy and national security while Democrats took control of Congress. India, he said, would need to work with both.

“New Delhi should continue to engage Trump and his administration directly. There is considerable common ground in defence cooperation, energy security, technology, manufacturing and the restructuring of global supply chains. Differences over tariffs, market access and immigration will need patient negotiation. There is little to be gained from public confrontation, just as India should avoid giving the impression that it is distancing itself from the administration because of the Republican electoral setback,” Verma mentioned.

“At the same time, the Democratic leadership in Congress can no longer be treated as a secondary constituency. The incoming House and Senate leadership, the foreign affairs, defence, commerce and appropriations committees, and influential legislators from both parties should figure prominently in India’s diplomatic outreach. Much will depend on relationships with individual lawmakers, not simply with party leadership,” he highlighted.

Emphasising that engagement should extend beyond diplomatic courtesies, Verma said that regular exchanges between Indian and US lawmakers, visits by American legislators to India and interactions with think tanks, academic institutions, businesses and the Indian-American community would help strengthen support across the US political spectrum.

He said India should also be prepared to address difficult issues, including trade barriers, immigration, human rights and democratic institutions, adding that disagreements need not undermine cooperation in other fields.

“Nor should New Delhi assume that India will remain insulated from American domestic politics. Trade practices, H-1B immigration, technology restrictions, human rights and India’s relations with Russia can all attract political attention. The strategic partnership does not place these subjects beyond scrutiny. Indian positions will need to be explained clearly, and channels of communication kept open even when differences arise,” Verma stressed.