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India's former envoy to the US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu has described Joe Biden's decision step back from running for President as a "rare happening", calling it an "interesting development" in the US politics, and the ongoing 2024 presidential run.
The former US envoy said that Biden's decision came out as an unusual one as he was a President who had already got the number of primary votes, however, he still stepped back. "This is a rare happening where a President who has already got the number of primary votes has stepped back. So, in that sense, it's a very interesting political development," Sandhu told ANI. Outlining the potential questions that were raised prior to Biden's withdrawal, concerning his candidature, and the re-election campaign, Sandhu said, "...After the debate (between Joe Biden and Donald Trump), even before that, there have been questions about President Biden's health. While officially this is not connected, it is widely believed that issues of health - whether he will be able to serve out the full term - that aspect played on the Democratic Party and he has withdrawn from the contest." Sandhu, as he talked further, underscoring how the United States and India both, are very dynamic and active polities. He said, "Like any political system, especially the United States and India, both are very dynamic and very very active polities." Terming the US presidential elections 2024 as special, he further stated, "In the US also, this was a special election because two old rivals (Joe Biden and Donald Trump) were contesting against each other. So, there was a lot of excitement...Incidentally, this year in the world, 40 per cent of the entire world has seen elections, and the US' happening in November...they are highly contested elections." Earlier on Sunday, Biden announced his decision to not seek re-election in the "best interest" of the Democratic Party and the country. He has endorsed US Vice President Kamala Harris as the presidential nominee for the Democratic Party and called on Democrats to "come together and beat" Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. Notably, Biden has been isolating at his home in Delaware after testing positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday while he was campaigning in Las Vegas. His announcement to withdraw from the race to be the next president comes following mounting pressure from Democrats after his incoherent performance in the nationally televised debate with former US President Donald Trump on June 27. (ANI)
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