Labor and the Coalition need the Indian diaspora vote, but the immigration debate has many feeling bruised

Satish Devarakonda says he is yet to decide who he will vote for in November’s Victorian state election. Photograph: Christopher Hopkins/The Guardian

Melbourne-based high school teacher Kusum Mirchandani has called Australia home for more than two decades.

So when the nationwide anti-immigration March for Australia rallies were first held last year – using promotional material that singled out Indian migrants – Mirchandani noticed a distinct shift.