SouthAsiaSource
Apr 29, 2021
The Biden administration must incorporate India’s provincial elections in West Bengal and Assam into its South Asia foreign policy
By
Rudabeh Shahid and Kaveri Sarkar
Away from India's awful COVID-19 scenes playing out are elections Washington should not ignore. The ongoing state elections in India’s east, specifically the states of West Bengal and Assam, are characterized by dynamics central to today’s India and their results will have long-lasting implications for national politics. The fanning of toxic identity politics, compromising of democratic institutions, the worrisome rise of COVID-19 cases, and the effect on foreign relations are aspects of these elections that deserve Washington’s serious attention.
