What do Vinod Dham, Rajat Gupta, Zach Zachariah, Sabeer Bhatia and Ramesh Kapur have in common? Not just the fact that they are all immigrants of Indian origin who have at some stage broken individual and professional glass ceilings in the United States. They are also medium-to-big-ticket political contributors and now increasingly sought out by constituents of both Republican and Democratic parties.

PITCHING IN: Kerry with hotelier Sant Chatwal and his son Vikram at a reception by South Asians. The Chatwals contributed $47,000.

In the election cycles (presidential, Congress and Senate) of the past four years, the combined contribution of these handful of Indian-Americans tops $1 million (Rs 4.5 crore). Better still, some of them like Bhatia, Kapur and Zachariah have utilised their networking clout to organise political fundraisers-helping raise millions more than what they have personally contributed. What they lack in numbers-being less than 1 per cent of the US population-they more than make up with their money power.

The 2000 US Census put its finger on the issue when it discovered that Indian-Americans were among the highest income percentile in the country and the mean annual income per household was $65,381. In other words, Indian-Americans are potential fat cats. So, for the first time, they approach a presidential election as potentially significant players-not just in terms of a crucial thousand votes in tightly run states, but also as financial contributors.

Something the Democratic Party under John Kerry discovered last month. A fundraiser for Kerry, organised under the aegis of South Asians for Kerry (SAKI2004), put up $1 million. It was historic, given that it was the first time a presidential aspirant had courted the Indian-American community. Additionally, there are five Indian-Americans in the category of vice-chairs-those who could raise $100,000 and above for the Kerry campaign. Within the category of co-chairs-those who helped raise between $50,000 and $100,000-there are eight Indian-Americans.

There are also scores of prominent Indian-Americans-including Hotmail legend Bhatia, former McKinsey managing director Gupta, San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris and newly appointed Asia Society President Vishaka Desai-who have lent their weight to the Democratic cause.

Traditionally, Indian-Americans have gravitated towards the Democrats-identifying with their more inclusive approach to governance. A 1996 survey by Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government (KSG) shows 42 per cent were Democrats, 13 per cent Republicans, 24 per cent independents, 15 per cent undecided and 6 per cent were members of other parties. Ideologically, not only was the community identified as moderate, it was also overwhelmingly Democratic.

Now, while the numbers still continue to favour the Democrats, there is a sizeable chunk that has begun to vote Republican. Bobby Jindal's run for governor of Louisiana showed that something had changed in the seven-odd years since the KSG survey was carried out. His support base extended well beyond the borders of Louisiana. Of the whopping $8.1 million that he raised, almost a quarter came from contributions from outside the state. Something that none of his opponents could manage, though it is another matter that he eventually lost the race. In the initial months, the fundraising momentum was largely thanks to the expat community-both Democrats and Republicans. It also underlined a clear strain of Republicans among the Indian-Americans.

Sudhakar Shenoy, a techie entrepreneur and an avid Republican, elaborated further, "The Democratic Party caters only to African-Americans and Hispanics. The Republicans don't operate like that. They were the first to acknowledge Jindal's potential. If you ask me, the Democrats do only lip service."

BUSH MAN: Akshay Desai, a leading physician, with Bush and his wife Laura at their Texas ranch. Desai contributed $45,500.

The fundraising ability of the loyal Republicans among the Indian-Americans is now being demonstrated in the bid for a second run in the White House by George W. Bush. The Republican Party has detailed three categories in its campaign finance team that rounds up people for big ticket campaign lunches and dinners. Rangers are those committed to raising at least $200,000 for the campaign; Pioneers have a goal of $100,000; and Mavericks are the under-40 crowd aiming at $50,000 each.

The 100 Rangers includes Florida-based cardiologist, Zachariah, while the 500 Pioneers has his brother Mammen P. Zachariah in the under-40 category. Zach Zachariah, who is among the first Indian-Americans to be an active bipartisan contributor in politics, says, "My philosophy is good government. I support only candidates and not any party." The association with Bush is only recent. The elder Zachariah was among the most active supporters of Bush senior and had hosted a $11,000 a plate lunch for the President in his re-election campaign in 1991. An unabashed fan of the 43rd President, he says, "President Bush is fantastic. He is cognizant of foreign policy, terrorism and is also hands-on about domestic issues." Raj Vattikuti, founder chairman and CEO of Covansys, is another big-ticket contributor to the Republican cause. However, his motivations are a little different. "My reasons are two-fold. The Republican party is more oriented to business. Secondly, this President and administration has done the most in furthering India-US relations," he says.

Just as the Indian-American community has reflected the political divide that faces America today, it is also reflecting the demographic shifts that have already occurred in the mainstream. The most significant trend is of the second generation Indian-Americans. New York-based Reshma Saujani, one of the moving spirits behind SAKI2004, says, "There are a lot of Indian-Americans and Pakistanis in the swing states. We want to mobilise these communities."

But there are still many who argue that the fundraising potential of the community is yet to be realised. They also say that Indian-Americans should shed their quid pro quo approach and adopt a mainstream approach. That is, recognise that their lives are affected by the policies advocated by elected officials. Anil Kakani, a former member of New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton's staff and an active Democratic Party activist, says, "Indian-American donors generally want something in return for their donation. Kerry took in $5.7 million over the Internet just after his speech on Thursday. Indians should be able to raise similarly from both large as well as small donors."

This year's presidential election has thrown up a big surprise in terms of the visible presence of Indian-Americans in the campaign. In the process, adding yet another dimension to their already unique timeline in this country.