New Delhi: Soaking in the moment of glory, Gopalan Balachandran, the maternal uncle of Senator Kamala Harris, on Saturday night said he told her niece a day earlier that she was "going to win" to become the next US vice president.
Democrat Joe Biden defeated incumbent Republican President Donald Trump in the closely-fought presidential election.
Harris, 56, who is of Indian origin, has become the first-ever woman vice president-elect of the US. She will also be the first Indian-origin, first Black and first African American vice president of the country.
Delhi-based Balachandran said he was feeling "proud and happy", describing Harris as a fighter.
"Biden-Harris victory is what we wanted to see. And, given the numbers, I told Kamala yesterday (Friday) that she is going to win," he told PTI when asked if the counting process made him tense.
Biden, the 77-year-old former vice president, will become the 46th president of the United States.
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"This election is about so much more than Joe Biden or me. It's about the soul of America and our willingness to fight for it. We have a lot of work ahead of us. Let's get started," Harris tweeted.
She was born to two immigrant parents: a Black father and an Indian mother. Her father, Donald Harris, was from Jamaica, and her mother, Shyamala Gopalan, a cancer researcher and civil rights activist from Chennai.
In an interview in August, Balachandran had said that Harris's nomination as the vice-presidential candidate was a "historic moment", but it was not a surprise at all for him.
Harris's maternal uncle had said that she would script many firsts if she won and expressed the hope her top-level position would give Indians in the US "greater access" in interacting with the US administration.
PTI REPORT
