WESTLAND, Mich. (Diya TV) — Hundreds of South Asian residents gathered in Westland on Oct. 30 for “Light Up the Vote,” a Diwali rally that combined a cultural celebration with a final push to turn out voters before Michigan’s Nov. 3 election.
The Impact Fund, the political arm of Indian American Impact, and the student-led South Asian civic group SAATH organized the event. Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed joined Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, the party’s gubernatorial nominee; state House Democratic Leader Ranjeev Puri; Ann Arbor City Council member Ayesha Ghazi Edwin; and Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval. Attendees garlanded the officials and joined them in lighting a diya, or oil lamp. The program also included a University of Michigan South Asian dance troupe, a vendor market and a children’s area.
The organizers tied the festival’s symbolism directly to the ballot. Puri told attendees that voting could help decide the U.S. Senate race, the governor’s contest and control of the state House. Benson spoke about jobs and household finances. El-Sayed urged people to vote and said the festival’s message of light could unite families across communities.
The push reflected organizers’ argument that even a modest increase in South Asian turnout could matter. Indian American Impact estimated that Michigan has about 187,000 South Asian residents and that nearly 30,000 registered South Asian voters did not vote in 2022. The organization compared that figure with the roughly 19,000-vote margin in the 2024 U.S. Senate race. The comparison spans two different elections; it illustrates the group’s turnout goal, not a forecast of how those voters would vote in 2026.
El-Sayed also addressed an alleged plot targeting a Hindu temple in Aurora, Illinois. Authorities arrested a 19-year-old man and charged him with making a terrorist threat and unlawful weapons possession. Indian American Impact had condemned the alleged plot before the rally.
After the event, some social media users criticized Indian American Impact’s description of the gathering as a celebration with the “South Asian community,” saying the wording did not sufficiently acknowledge Diwali’s Hindu roots. The organization replied that Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and others celebrate the festival, and said Hindu participants also spoke at the rally. Chintan Patel, the group’s executive director, identified himself at the event as a Hindu American and described his support for El-Sayed, a Muslim American.
The argument centered on how organizers described the event, not on whether the rally included Hindu participants. It also showed the challenge of building a political coalition across communities while recognizing the different religious traditions represented within it.
