Diwali is now a 'political battleground' as leaders push for a federal holiday—but at what cost to the tradition?

Diwali appears to have turned political in the US in 2026, with a renewed push to make the Hindu festival a federal holiday, and many governor-led events for the first time in American states. This is happening amid anti-Hindu hate and right-wing backlash

Diwali celebrations in the US are nothing new, but this year the Hindu festival has taken on a political hue, with leaders at city, state and federal levels making a point of marking the occasion and posting about it on social media. Add a renewed push to make Diwali a federal holiday, and the picture becomes clear: the festival of lights, celebrated largely by Indian Americans, is being politicised, and both Republicans and Democrats are using it for their own ends. With the midterm elections held just days before Diwali, the festival became a showcase of American diversity, while the disruptions it faced exposed how contested such initiatives remain. Democrats framed Diwali through anti-hate messaging and electoral wins while Republicans placed it within broader conservative themes of faith, family and trade, carefully avoiding the language of "diversity".

Federal holiday for Diwali? Bill reintroduced

The latest move is the reintroduction of the Diwali Day Act on Monday (Nov 9) by Representative Grace Meng, chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. The bill seeks to make Diwali the 12th federal holiday, giving federal employees a day off. Its sponsors include Indian-American lawmakers Ami Bera, Ro Khanna, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Suhas Subramanyam and Shri Thanedar. Meng cited the festival's significance and rising anti-Hindu and anti-South Asian hate, including temple vandalism and a recent attempted attack on a temple. At the state level, California marked its first year recognising Diwali as a state holiday, and the Michigan Senate passed legislation to do the same.

The Diwali 'show': More American politicians marked the festival this year

Going by posts on X, there's a visible rise in American local officials, mayors, governors, state legislators, senators, representatives marking Diwali, besides the usual White House events.

This is also a nod to the Indian-American community's growing population, economic contribution and electoral relevance. The midterm elections clearly played a role, coming after several instances of anti-Hindu and anti-South Asian hate.

Governors hosted Diwali events for the first time in Idaho, Nebraska, Montana, North Dakota and Washington, with Oregon's scheduled for November 10. Four of these six governors are Republicans.

At the local level, city halls held ceremonies, and New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani joined lamp-lighting with members of the Indian-American community.

The White House diya-lighting, now an established tradition, continued this year under President Donald Trump. After the midterms, several senators-elect and representatives were seen lighting lamps, visiting temples or posting greetings.

And the haters are not liking it

On November 7, far-right activist Jake Lang disrupted a Diwali celebration at the Seattle Center Armory, with placards reading "Deport All Dot Heads" and "Stop Hindu Replacement of Christians", later blaming Hindus for Texas shifting towards the Democrats in the midterms. Representatives Pramila Jayapal and Raja Krishnamoorthi condemned the disruption, with Krishnamoorthi linking it to anti-Indian rhetoric "from the highest levels of government". He also tied it to the attempted mass shooting on October 11 at the Sri Venkateswara Swami (Balaji) temple in Aurora, Illinois, where he was worshipping with his family.

Diwali, a liability on the right?

Republican politicians are often in a bind when courting Indian or Hindu community votes while staying true to their party's core themes. In April 2026, a clip of Texas Governor Greg Abbott at his 2024 Diwali event resurfaced online, drawing fire from right-wing commentators amid a heated debate over H-1B visas. Abbott, who has hosted Diwali every year since 2018 except 2020, had said Texas "will be a land for the Indian community" and would "continue to celebrate Diwali".

The hostility isn't new. In 2025, FBI Director Kash Patel, Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy and then Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard drew racist and Hinduphobic comments following their Diwali greetings on social media.