Washington, Aug 31. (UNI):Indo-Americans have traditionally tended to vote for the Democratic Party in the US, but that is changing as both the Republicans and Democrats vote woo every constituency for the November presidential election, predicted to be as tight a race as the 2004 poll that put George W Bush in the White House despite losing the popular vote say analysts.

Also being courted with equal fervor are the Pakistani-Americans, who many analysts predict would break ranks with US Muslim Americans to side with Bush.

There are about two million Indo-Americans in the United States, but the number of them registered to vote is unknown.

The Democrats who espouse civil liberties and civil rights and support gay issues and women's right to abortion and oppose the Iraq war have been favourites with middle class Indo-Americans. The wealthier ones and those in the medical profession have tended to lean towards the Republicans, who stand for tax cuts for the wealthy.

For those in the medical profession, the fact that Democratic vice-presidential running mate John Edwards, who has been a champion of medical malpractice lawsuits, is anathema.

"These lawsuits have results in skyrocketing insurance costs for doctors," said Dr V Nader, a Pennsylvania cardiologist.

These higher insurance costs would result in higher bills for patients, said Nader, who is supporting Bush's re-election effort.

But those like Kanwar Balbir Singh, a retired Washington DC school teacher, say they want to stay with the Democrats. Most of them think the Democrats would put an end to racial profiling and other harassment that South Asians, particularly the Sikhs, have been subjected to.

A section of Indo-Americans, who still believe in strong family and conservative values, are undecided about their vote, but prefer the Republicans on those issues.

Significantly, the issue of outsourcing does not appear to be a factor for Indo-Americans in the two parties' platforms which may be because some have themselves been victim to outsourcing.

As a testament to the significance that the Indo-American community has gained in the Republican Party, the ongoing Republican Party convention in New York features 10 Indo-Americans.

The Republican National Committee says 17 per cent of the nearly 5,000 delegates to the convention are minorities, with women making up 44 per cent, compared with 10 per cent and 36 per cent respectively in the year 2000.

"Since the 2000 convention, there has been an estimated 70 per cent increase among minority delegates," the party website says, adding that the Asian-American participation was up nearly 40 per cent from 2000.

The Republican party sent out a 1,200-word e-mail to woo Indo American voters.

"Throughout his first term in office, President Bush has honoured the many contributions of Indo-Americans to our country by advancing policies that reflect their priorities," Marc Racicot, chairman of the Bush-Cheney 2004 campaign, writes in the appeal. "We are grateful for the support the president's campaign has obtained from Indo-Americans and we look forward to working together to re-elect President Bush," the message said. (UNI)