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Vasant Bhatt: Indian-American student, 21, claims Campus Reform removed him after vote against ‘anti-Indian bigotry’
University of Houston student Vasant Bhatt alleged that his Campus Reform correspondent role ended after he spoke against “anti-Indian bigotry.”
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An Indian-American student at the University of Houston has claimed that conservative news outlet Campus Reform terminated his correspondent role after he publicly opposed “anti-Indian bigotry” and announced his decision to vote for a Democratic candidate in Texas.
Vasant Bhatt, 21, made the allegation in a post on his X account on October 23, saying his decision to speak out against racism and reject the Republican Party line had cost him his position with the higher education-focused news website.
“I exercised my constitutional right to vote according to my conscience, spoke out against anti-Indian bigotry, and refused to toe the Republican Party line. My participation in Campus Reform’s correspondent program has now been terminated,” Bhatt wrote.
“Losing a place in a program will not make me retract my beliefs or abandon my community,” he added.
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Campus Reform had not publicly commented on Bhatt’s claim as of October 24. However, his author profile was no longer available on the organization’s website.
Why Bhatt voted for a Democratic candidate
Bhatt came into the spotlight earlier in October after announcing that he had voted for Democrat James Talarico over Republican Ken Paxton in the Texas US Senate race.
In an earlier post on X, Bhatt described himself as a second-generation Indian American and said he was disturbed by what he viewed as growing xenophobia and attacks on his identity.
“I am every bit as American as anyone else, and I will not tolerate being treated as a perpetual foreigner in the country I call home,” he said.
Talarico, a Democratic state representative, is challenging Paxton in the November 3, 2026, US Senate election.
Bhatt had previously been involved in conservative political circles. His former Campus Reform biography reportedly mentioned an internship with Republican Senator Ted Cruz’s re-election campaign and his involvement with the Texas Youth Summit.
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Campus Reform’s links to conservative activism
Campus Reform covers higher education and uses student correspondents to report on colleges and universities. It operates under the Leadership Institute, a Virginia-based conservative nonprofit that trains young activists.
The controversy comes amid concerns about anti-Indian and anti-Hindu rhetoric in the US, including attacks on Indian-American candidates and online hostility towards Indian workers.
Bhatt’s allegation has not been independently established, and Campus Reform has not publicly explained the disappearance of his profile or the status of his correspondent role.
