Reid sets Senate India nuclear deal vote Wednesday

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on Tuesday scheduled a vote for Wednesday evening on a deal to end the three-decade ban on U.S. civilian nuclear trade with India, a Senate aide said.

The deal passed the House of Representatives by a margin of 298-117 on Saturday and the Democrats who control the Senate appeared to have overcome opponents within their own party.

The deal is expected to pass Congress, where it enjoys strong support from Democrats and Republicans who want to see closer ties to India, create jobs in the U.S. civil nuclear industry and cultivate the small but affluent Indian-American community.

U.S. congressional blessing is the last hurdle to the pact, which the Bush administration believes will secure a strategic partnership with the world's largest democracy, help India meet its rising energy demand and open up a market worth billions.

Critics argue the deal undermines efforts to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and sets a precedent allowing other nations to seek to buy such technology without submitting to the full range of global nonproliferation safeguards.

If the agreement does not make it through Congress before lawmakers head home to campaign for the Nov. 4 election, it could slip until next year.