The United States on Wednesday congratulated Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his coalition’s election win, saying it hoped to work with the Hindu nationalist leader on a “free and open” Asia.

“We look forward to continuing to further our partnership with the Indian government to promote prosperity and innovation, address the climate crisis and ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific region,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said, using a US catchphrase for opposing assertive moves by China.

Miller’s statement called the election, in which 650 million people voted, “the largest exercise in democracy in human history.”

“We commend Indian voters, poll workers, civil society, and journalists for their commitment and vital contributions to India’s democratic processes and institutions,” Miller said.

The United States since the late 1990s has put a high priority on building relations with India, seeing the billion-plus democracy as like-minded on key areas including the rise of China and the threat of Islamist extremism.

President Joe Biden has kept up the courtship, welcoming Modi on a state visit last year and boosting the role of the “Quad” — a group bringing together the United States, India, Japan and Australia, all major democracies with degrees of friction with China.

The embrace of Modi comes despite rising criticism from human rights groups and some left-wing members of Biden’s Democratic Party over what they see as rising authoritarianism by the Hindu nationalist prime minister.

The Biden administration, while gently raising concerns on human rights, has largely brushed off concerns and moved full-speed ahead with Modi.

But senior US officials quietly warned India of consequences to the relationship after federal prosecutors last year alleged that an Indian intelligence officer was involved in an assassination plot against a Sikh separatist on US soil.

Modi is set for a third term in office after the election but his Bharatiya Janata Party lost seats and will need coalition partners, falling short of early hopes of a landslide.

Vanguard News