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Kamala Harris' ancestral village in India to pray for her election victory

Kamala Harris' ancestral village in India to pray for her election victory

A man rides his bicycle past a banner of US. Vice President Kamala Harris installed alongside a road in the village of Thulasendrapuram, whereHarris's maternal grandfather was born more than a century ago, in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, India, Jul 27, 2024. (Photo: REUTERS)

THULASENDRAPURAM, India: Residents in US Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris' ancestral village in southern India prepared to hold prayers on election day on Tuesday (Nov 5) in a Hindu temple more than 13,000km from Washington.

Harris' maternal grandfather PV Gopalan was born more than a century ago in the leafy village of Thulasendrapuram in what is now southern India's Tamil Nadu state.

"There will be a special prayer on Tuesday morning at the temple," G Manikandan, a villager who runs a small store near the temple, said. "Celebrations will follow if she wins."

School children react as they walk past a banner featuring Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris in Thulasendrapuram, the hometown of Harris' maternal grandfather, in Tamil Nadu state, India, Monday, Nov 4, 2024. Tamil writing on the banner reads: "We are wishing for your victory". (Photo: AP/Aijaz Rahi)

At the temple, Harris' name is engraved into a stone that lists public donations, along with that of her grandfather. Outside, a large banner wishes "the daughter of the land" success in the election.

Gopalan and his family migrated a few hundred miles to the coastal city of Chennai, Tamil Nadu's capital, where he worked as a high-ranking government official until his retirement.

The village received global attention four years ago when its residents prayed for victory for Harris' Democratic Party in 2020 before celebrating her inauguration as US Vice President by setting off firecrackers and distributing food.

Harris and her Republican rival Donald Trump were scrambling to get supporters to the polls in a historically close contest, which means it could take days for the winner to emerge.

Source: Reuters/fs

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