How the Lok Sabha verdict could affect India’s ties with its neighbours

The outcome of the general elections in India was largely seen as a foregone conclusion, with Narendra Modi returning for a third term as the prime minister. However, the inauguration of the new government, tentatively scheduled for June 9, 2024, will be very different in composition than ones he has led for the last decade over his two previous terms.

A strong showing by opposition parties has meant that for the first time in ten years, Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party no longer has a majority in Parliament, as it did after the 2014 and 2019 elections.

During his first two terms, Modi had governed ostensibly as the head of the National Democratic Alliance, but he did not need them. This time, with only 240 seats – 32 short of the majority mark of 272 – he will be dependent on his coalition partners. This shift will have important impacts domestically, but it will also impact relations with India’s neighbours, including Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and China. Of these, the prime ministers of Bangladesh and Nepal were among the six foreign leaders invited.

Ganges water treaty

According to most exit polls during the elections – almost all of which had projected the BJP to gain seats rather than lose 67 – the BJP...

Read more