(As told to The Quint’s Opinions editor Nishtha Gautam.)
The US presidential election matters to India in at least two respects. First, the outcome will determine America's commitment to democratic norms, rule of law, and its positioning in the international community. Second, the election will impact US-India relations, though primarily with respect to economic issues. Under either a Biden or Trump administration, I expect security cooperation to proceed apace.
There's an emerging narrative that a Biden-Harris administration would be bad for India because the United States would apply more scrutiny to India's domestic affairs. While I think a Biden administration would pay more attention to democracy in India, larger geopolitical forces—namely, China's rise—will constrain American behaviour. You might see more rhetorical emphasis on freedoms, human rights, civil liberties, but in the Indian case, I am skeptical it will mean significant policy change in practice.