US Prez bid; Wait till Jun 24: Jindal

Washington: Indian-American Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal will make a "major announcement" about his plans to campaign for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination on June 24, the US media reported today. Jindal, 43, who has already made frequent visits to key primary states in the US and launched a presidential exploratory committee last month, has previously said that he would made his 2016 plans known after the end of Louisiana's legislative session on June 11. Jindal is "likely to announce his plans to seek the GOP nomination," CNN quoted a person close to Jindal, with knowledge of the announcement.

The Louisiana governor will make his intentions known at an event in New Orleans on June 24, the report said. If Jindal announces going ahead with his plans, he would be the first ever Indian-American politician to run for a US presidential election. In doing so, he would join the already crowded Republican presidential aspirants. In May, Jindal established a federal committee to formally evaluate a presidential bid and created a web site touting his possible entry into the race. "If I run, my candidacy will be based on the idea that the American people are ready to try a dramatically different direction," he said at the time. "Not a course correction, but a dramatically different path.""My parents came to this country over 40 years ago with nothing but the belief that America is the land of freedom and opportunity. They were right," Jindal said on his website announcing the formation of the Bobby Jindal Exploratory Committee.

"We must fight to make sure the next generation is not the first generation to inherit fewer opportunities than their parents. Will you join me?" Jindal asked on the home page of the website. Meanwhile, a CNN/ORC International survey released yesterday shows that Jindal is polling at 1 per cent nationally.