WASHINGTON: The US Senate voted 52-42 in favour of Eric Garcetti as the next ambassador to India late on Wednesday night (India time), two years after his name was first proposed by President Joe Biden.
He got the support of seven Republican senators as well while three Democrats voted against his candidature.
The position had been vacant ever since Kenneth Juster stepped down as the US envoy in January 2021 after Biden was elected president. Earlier in the day, the Senate voted on a cloture motion limiting debate on his nomination, which indicated the ruling Democrats had enough votes for his selection for the key post.
Last week, the Senate foreign relations committee had voted 13-8 in Garcetti's favour.
The voting process initiated by Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer came amidst a fresh round of campaign against Garcetti, who is facing charges of inaction in a case of sexual assault by one of his staffers when he was the mayor of Los Angeles.
For his part, Garcetti has maintained that he was unaware of the misdemeanour. Garcetti’s confirmation was pending before the US Congress since July 2021, when he was first nominated. During his hearing at the Senate foreign relations committee meeting in December 2021, he had said the human rights situation in India would be a core piece of his diplomatic engagement during his tenure.