NEW DELHI: Indian-American conservative entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy is tied for second place with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in the Republican presidential field, according to a report by The Hill.An Emerson College poll showed DeSantis and Ramaswamy tied at 10% each, trailing former President Donald Trump, who leads with 56%.

DeSantis kept his position in second place from previous polls, but he registered a big drop from the 21 percent he had in June.Ramaswamy rose from just 2% then.DeSantis, Ramaswamy and several other GOP presidential candidates -- including former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley and Hirsh Vardhan Singh -- will have their clearest opportunity yet to stand out on a national stage at the first Republican primary debate next week, especially with Trump seemingly planning to skip it.More than 80% of Republican primary voters said they plan to watch the debate.

Ramaswamy's political campaign has focused on the “New American dream”, building a meritocracy, advocating for free speech and ending the US’ dependence on China.

He has also vowed to attract “voters of diverse shades of melanin” to the polls if he is chosen as the 2024 GOP nominee.“I think this is a very significant opportunity … if the Republican Party has the good sense to step up and seize it,” Ramaswamy said.

“If I am the nominee, as I expect and hope to be, we will bring along voters of diverse shades of melanin in droves and win this election in a landslide.”Elon Musk recently praised Ramaswamy, who is set to contest against Trump in the Republican primaries for presidential polls — calling him a “very promising candidate”.

“He is a very promising candidate,” Musk said on X (formerly Twitter).'Not interested in Vice President post'Ramaswamy has expressed his 'complete disinterest' in holding the position of Vice President in the US administration, The Hill reported.He said he would turn down an offer of the vice presidency if he doesn’t win the GOP presidential nomination for 2024.

“I am not interested in a different position in the government,” he said in a Fox News interview on Saturday.

“Frankly, I would rather drive change through the private sector sooner than becoming a number 2 or a number 3 in the federal government.”“Donald Trump and I share something in common and that is that neither of us would do well in a number 2 position,” he added.About RamaswamyRamaswamy was born on August 9, 1985, and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio.

His parents migrated to the US from Kerala.He is the third Indian-American — along with Nikki Haley and Hirsh Vardhan Singh — who will be up against former President Donald Trump in the primaries in January next year.He attended Harvard University for his undergrad and later got a law degree from Yale University.Ramaswamy is the author of "Woke, Inc: Inside Corporate America's Social Justice Scam" and has been dubbed "the CEO of Anti-Woke Inc" by The New Yorker.A second-generation Indian American, Ramaswamy founded Roivant Sciences in 2014 and led the largest biotech IPOs of 2015 and 2016, eventually culminating in successful clinical trials in multiple disease areas that led to FDA-approved products, according to his bio.He has founded other successful healthcare and technology companies, and in 2022, he launched Strive Asset Management, a new firm focused on restoring the voices of everyday citizens in the American economy by leading companies to focus on excellence over politics.Ramaswamy is married to Apoorva Tewari Ramaswamy, an Assistant Professor at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical CenterAnti-wokism and anti-warOver the past few weeks, Ramaswamy has given several interviews and offered his take on various issues, including gun violence, racism, abortion and the Russia-Ukraine conflict.He stood out on his presidential candidature launch, when he called ‘woke-ism’ a ‘national threat’.

Although he presents himself as an eloquent optimist, he seems to chant Trump's infamous anti-immigration policies.

His candidature also rests heavily upon anti-war policies.He has also said that by 2025, he will station military personnel along the US-Mexico border every half-mile to protect against illegal immigration.Ramaswamy is also anti-abortion and believes that gender dysphoria should be treated as a ‘mental illness’On PM Modi, Ramaswamy said: “I think he has been an excellent prime minister for India.

I think he has unapologetically embraced free-market capitalism...

It’s the best system known to man to lift people up from poverty.

We know that from our experience here in the United States."On Russia-Ukraine conflictIn a move quite different from other US leaders, Ramaswamy has advocated for ending the Russia-Ukraine conflict with Moscow keeping parts of Donbas region and Kyiv not joining NATO.

He further argued that Russian president Vladimir Putin must exit his military alliance with China to end the conflict.“I will end the Ukraine War on terms that require Putin to exit his military alliance with China.

The goal shouldn’t be for Russia to “lose.” It should be for the US to *win.*”, Ramaswamy said on X (formerly Twitter).In an interview with CNN, Ramaswamy called Russia-China military alliance the “single-biggest military” threat for the US and even stated that he would be visiting Moscow after assuming the presidency.He further stated that US engagements with Ukraine are driving Russia into “Chinese arms”.The US lawmaker added that the focus should not be for “Putin to lose” but for “America to win”.(With inputs from agencies)WatchTrump's shadow looms over the Iowa State Fair