India in the Security Council: A new dimension in the 'strategic' competition

India was elected a member of the UN Security Council on Wednesday night amid tensions with China over its border. The country will serve on the Security Council for two years from January 1 next year. In the secret ballot in the General Assembly, India got 164 out of 192 valid votes. Diplomatic sources in Dhaka and New Delhi say India's candidacy for a temporary seat on the Security Council has been under discussion for some time. Pakistan and China also supported the country's candidacy.

Diplomatic sources say it is important for any South Asian country, especially neighboring India, to be a temporary member of the Security Council. India has been elected a member of the Security Council with a number of commitments. If they are successful, a new level of strategic competition in the region and the world may come in the coming days.

Jayita Bhattacharya, a senior fellow at the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), a leading policy research institute in New Delhi, told Kaler Kanth on Thursday: “Being elected a temporary member of the Security Council is a major diplomatic victory for India. This will create an opportunity for India to sit at the table of the most influential people in the UN. It will also give India an opportunity to hold informal talks in its interest. "India has been selected from the Asia-Pacific group," he said. India got votes from almost all countries. So it can be said that they have been elected almost unopposed. This is also a positive dimension.

India wants to become a permanent member of the Security Council through UN reforms. The country has previously served as a non-permanent member of the Security Council for a total of seven terms, from 1950-51, 1967-68, 1962-63, 196-7, 1974-75, 1991-92 and 2011-2012. TS Tirumurthy, India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, said India's accession to the Security Council was a significant step in the current context. Shortly after India's temporary membership was confirmed on Wednesday, he said India would bring transparency, credibility and efficiency to the work of the Security Council.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also said in a tweet that his country would work with all member states for global peace, security, resilience and justice.

However, India's membership will not have much impact - many experts think. In this regard, former ambassador M Humayun Kabir told Kaler Kantha, “According to the structure, the role of the permanent members is paramount in the decision making process of the Security Council. So it should not have too much impact.

Dhaka University Professor of International Relations. Imtiaz Ahmed said, "The temporary members of the Security Council do not have the power to veto." So as a member of India, I don't think there will be any major change in terms of influence. However, both India and China should reach a diplomatic solution to their border dispute. Because as the instability increases, many countries in the world will try to take advantage of many opportunities.

Meanwhile, an analysis by CNN yesterday said that many anti-China activists may now lean towards India as a result of the border dispute. The US-led Quad (India, Japan, US and Australia) could form a much larger anti-China bloc. However, China is also increasing its strategic presence in South Asia.