New Delhi: A US Congressional delegation called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi here on Thursday and its members congratulated the PM on his third consecutive term and expressed "deep appreciation" for the scale and transparency of the recently-concluded general election in India, the PMO said.
The seven-member delegation, led by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, described India-US relations as the "most consequential one", the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement.
The delegation extended Modi its support to deepen the Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership in all areas, including trade, new and emerging technology, defence, and people to people exchanges.
Prime Minister Modi posted a photo with the delegation on X. "Had a very good exchange of views with friends from the US Congress in a delegation led by @RepMcCaul, Chairman of @HouseForeignGOP. Deeply value the strong bipartisan support in advancing India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership," he wrote on the social media platform.
The US Congressional delegation had arrived in Himachal Pradesh's Dharamsala on Tuesday. It also met with Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama on Wednesday.
Apart from McCaul, the delegation consisted of six prominent US Congressional members -- former US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Mariannette Miller, Gregory Meeks, Nicole Malliotakis, Jim McGovern, and Ami Bera.
"The delegation members congratulated Prime Minister on his election for the historic third consecutive term. They expressed deep appreciation for the scale, fairness and transparency of the recently concluded world's largest democratic electoral exercise in India," the PMO said.
Modi, in his turn, highlighted the "significant role played by the consistent and bipartisan support of the US Congress in advancing India-US ties," which, he said, are based on shared democratic values, rule of law, and strong people-to-people ties.
He reiterated the commitment to "further strengthen bilateral relations for the global good," the statement said. Modi recalled his State Visit to the US in June last year during which he had an opportunity to address a Joint Session of the US Congress for a historic second time.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday said that he met with the members of the visiting bipartisan US Congressional delegation and appreciated their "strong and continued support" to the partnership. In the recently-held Lok Sabha polls, the BJP with 240 seats fell short of a majority but the NDA secured the mandate with 293 seats.
The Congress bagged 99 seats, while the INDIA bloc, of which it is a part, got 234 seats. Following the polls, two Independents who won the election pledged support to the Congress, taking the INDIA bloc tally to 236. The general election for the 18th Lok Sabha were held in seven phases from April 19 to June 1 and votes were counted on June 4.
