Indian-American sees humour in election

New York: In the United States, the Attorney General's post is the second-most important after the Governor.

Now, an Indian American is running for Attorney General in Ohio, the crucial swing state that decided the 2004 presidential elections in favour of George W Bush.

And Subodh Chandra is reaching out to voters with some classic American humour.

Chandra is using comedy to help his cause in the Democratic primary coming up in early May.

He has compared himself to Apu, the only Indian character in The Simpsons, in his campaign commercial.

The ad also compares his opponent to Homer. But Chandra, considered a rising star in the Indian American community, is very serious about the race, as he told us earlier when he started his campaign.

"Ultimately, anybody who runs for public office needs to be qualified for that office. My background as a federal prosecutor, as the law director in the city of Cleveland which meant I ran one of the biggest public law firms in Ohio, those are things that qualify me to be Attorney General. The issue of name and ethnicity can ultimately be an asset because people want to know what your background is and what your values are," says he.

Chandra believes his Indian roots and values will only help him connect better with the Ohio electorate.

It takes courage for a politician to compare himself to a cartoon character. Voters here - as in India - would be tempted to say, isn't that what politicians are anyway?!

But Subodh Chandra is clearly confident The Simpsons connection will work for him.