How Team Biden will influence ties with India OTHER IMPORTANT SENIOR MEMBERS KAMALA HARRIS,

US President-elect Joe Biden has nominated at least 20 Indian-Americans, including 13 women, to key positions in his administration, a record for the ethnic community. A look at some of these appointments, and others that will have a bearing on America’s ties with India By Yashwant Raj

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT

He has a long list of India engagements — including a visit — and remarks going back to his decades in the senate. He was instrumental in the passage of the India-US civil nuclear deal; visited India as vice-president; set the bilateral trade target of $500 billion that remains the goal still

KATHERINE TAI (Trade representative): With trade being perhaps the biggest drag on ties, Tai will play a crucial role. She will inherit the trade talks

NEERA TANDEN (Director, office of management, budget):

VICE-PRESIDENT America’s first Indian-heritage vice-president will yield considerable influence. In the past, she has been critical of the abrogation of Article 370 and Citizenship Amendment Act, and has sided with Pramila Jayapal in her spat with India’s EAM S Jaishankar

OTHER MEMBERS OF THE BIDENHARRIS TEAM OF INDIAN DESCENT

Surgeon general

VIVEK MURTHY

Biden’s chief speech writer

VINAY REDDY Deputy head of the office of presidential personnel GAUTAM RAGHAVAN No 3 in the justice department as associate attorney general VANITA GUPTA

Sr director for technology and national security TARUN CHHABRA Policy adviser for testing VIDUR SHARMA Partnerships manager in tech team

AISHA SHAH

Sr adviser for climate policy and innovation SONIA AGGARWAL

GARIMA VERMA Deputy press secretary to the vice-president