Americans will vote in the mid-term elections tomorrow and by all assessments Democrats are likely to regain the control of Congress after over a decade.

More than 12 Indian Americans are part of this historic political battle.

The cast of characters include the sole Indian American Congressman in Washington, a former contender in New York real estate mogul Donald Trump's reality show "The Apprentice" and the longest-serving Indian American in politics.

From 2000 to 2005, the Indian American population has grown to 2.3 million, a 38 per cent growth rate, according to the US Census Bureau. "This community is ready for prime time," Sanjay Puri, Executive Director of the US-Indian Political Action Committee, told The Tribune, noting the increased participation of Indian Americans in the political process. USINPAC provides bipartisan support to candidates for federal, state and local office who support the issues that are important to the Indian American community.

Bobby Jindal, the sole Indian American Congressman in Washington, is a Republican from Louisiana. He is up for re-election on Tuesday. "There is so much at stake for our state in my re-election campaign for Congress," Mr. Jindal tells his supporters. "Louisiana needs strong leadership now more than ever." In order to take control of Congress the Democratic Party must win six Senate seats and 15 seats in the House of Representatives. According to some pollsters and political pundits that goal is achievable. Raghu Devaguptapu of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee says, "Polling and research is continuing to show American's dissatisfaction with the current leadership on issues ranging from the war, health care, job creation, and alternative energy." In Arizona, Rano Singh is the Democratic nominee for the State Treasurer's seat. Ms. Singh, 52, got involved in politics after a fellow Sikh gas station owner in Mesa, Arizona, was shot dead in the racial backlash that followed the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the USA. In a September poll, Ms. Singh trailed state Senator Dean Martin 26 to 40; however, 34 per cent of the voters remain undecided. "For Indian-American Democrats, 2006 should be called the year of the Goyle/ Goyal. Both Jay and Raj stand great chances of getting elected in tough districts because they are running strong message-driven and budget-disciplined campaigns," Mr. Devaguptapu says.

In Kansas, Raj Goyle, 31, is challenging incumbent Representative Bonnie Huy. While in Ohio, Jay Goyal, an engineer and vice president of his family business, Goyal Industries, is running a strong race.

In Iowa, Swati Dandekar is running for her third term for the Iowa State House. She was the first Indian-American woman to win a state legislative seat in 2002 when she defeated her Republican opponent who infamously asked in a local newspaper: "Will a person raised to function in the upper caste of India, the most repressive form of discrimination on the planet, be able to shed such repressionist views and fully and effectively represent the citizens of House District 36?" According to the Indian American Leadership Initiative, Mrs. Dandekar is in a key race as Republicans hold a two-seat advantage in the Iowa State House. If the Democrats control the chamber, Mrs. Dandekar is likely to emerge as a player in the 2008 presidential race. In 2004, she served as a co-chair for Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry's presidential campaign in Iowa.