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Indian elections were closely watched in the neighbourhood. Newspapers in capitals in the region led with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s win last week. Heads of state and politicos wished Mr. Modi on social media platform ‘X’, in some cases even before official results were fully declared. Leaders of Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Seychelles, Bangladesh, Mauritius, Nepal, and Bhutan were in New Delhi for Sunday’s swearing in ceremony, as they witnessed the new government — formed by a diminished BJP that relies on coalition partners for a parliamentary majority — being sworn in. Here’s cartoonist Mika Aziz’s take on “Modi 3.0”
Given that New Delhi does not formally recognise the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, or the military regime in Myanmar, and does not maintain any high-level engagement with Islamabad, the grouping did not represent the entire neighbourhood, but only the countries in India’s “comfort zone”, Suhasini Haidar reports.
The leaders present at the ceremony would only know well the obvious challenges of a coalition government, as their governments continue to engage with a big neighbour. The Indian poll outcome may not have been entirely surprising to them, for the histories of their own countries tell us no leader is invincible and no party is beyond challenge. Less than two years ago, Sri Lanka showed this region and the world how the much-feared Gotabaya Rajapaksa, known for his authoritarian regime that enjoyed a super majority in parliament, was dramatically dislodged by a mass uprising of citizens amid a crushing economic meltdown. His successor Ranil Wickremesinghe relies on the Rajapaksas’ party for his parliamentary majority.
Significantly, Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina were in India for the first time since they were elected to office in November 2023 and January 2024 respectively. In the case of Mr. Muizzu, whose party now has a super majority in the Maldivian legislature, his visit signals a possible reset in ties between New Delhi and Male that have remained tense.
While Mr. Modi has called for “deeper people-to-people ties and connectivity in the region”, people in neighbouring countries evaluate India’s engagement based on many factors, not just financial assistance driven mostly by geopolitical insecurity. While nearly all neighbours value their friendship with India, they have not signed up for an uncritical embrace, as was seen after PM Modi’s pre-poll remarks on Katchatheevu. The Sri Lankan government did not object to his claim, but the media and civil society hit out at the statement, with one editorial noting “Lanka desires to be left to its own devices away from India’s internal politics.”
Meanwhile, as the world keenly followed elections in the world’s largest democracy, a parliamentary committee report in Canada described India as “the second-biggest foreign threat” to the country’s democracy.” Kallol Bhattacherjee writes on the development.
Top 5 stories this week
Here’s what we are reading on perception of Indian elections, while tracking some other significant election outcomes in recent weeks.
- How does Washington view the Indian poll outcome? With the BJP’s loss of seats, the US could begin to see a post-Modi era in its dealings with India, writes Shaun Tandon.
- In an exclusive interview to The Hindu’s Suhasini Haidar, Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan calls the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership a missed opportunity for India. He hopes for a Ministerial Roundtable soon, and for opportunities to deal with sagging investments.
- Change and continuity: The Hindu editorial on the Mexico mandate
- A new era: The Hindu editorial on the South Africa general election
- M. Kalyanaraman writes on the Baltimore ship accident, and the high stakes for India.
