India congratulates Obama's re-election as US president

India Wednesday congratulated Barack Obama upon his re-election as U.S. President, saying New Delhi looks forward to continuing engagement with Washington. "The government and people of India send their congratulations to President Obama on his winning a second mandate from the people of the U.S. who have expressed their will in the great tradition of democracy in their country," Indian Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement. It added "India and the U.S. have developed extensive bilateral cooperation and partnership based on shared values based on belief in democracy, the rule of law and pluralism. We look forward to continuing to deepen and widen the engagement between India and the U.S. in the years ahead." The ministry said that Indian President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will send separate messages to President Obama to congratulate him for winning a second term in office. President Obama defeated his main challenger Mitt Romney to get re-elected in office for the second time.