Insights for India from the Recent Bhutanese Parliamentary Elections

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was well aware of the shifting strategic needs in the Himalayas when he took office three years ago. He travelled to Bhutan for the first time, then Nepal in 2014; all the while his administration emphasized the "neighborhood first policy." In 1947, New Delhi took over the British Indian Empire's sovereignty over Bhutan. Although the 1949 Treaty of friendship modernized the two countries relations and kept a significant aspect of the prior agreement in place until that agreement was also amended in 2007, the real nature of the relationship has remained murky and complicated. Most Indians were unaware of Indo-Bhutan ties until vociferous outrage was directed at the crisis that broke out in the summer of 2013 and seriously strained India's "well cultivated and nourished" ties with Bhutan. The Himalayan state only stayed as an object of geopolitical play against China, where striking agreements by utilizing the carrot-and-stick approach to commerce became the norm. Still, it must be emphasized that India's historic "holy link" with Bhutan has been dismally allowed to deteriorate over the years. This strategy was unsustainable and did not represent wise foreign policy. India was the foreign policy encumbrance in the clamorous run-up to the general elections in Bhutan. Always there but taboo to address in public. Numerous election dispute cases have been brought up due to these peculiar unwritten rules. Political parties are not permitted to accuse people of being pro or anti-India but do so in chat rooms dedicated to elections. In light of the arguments above, this paper attempted to analyze the recent parliamentary elections in Bhutan and their implications for India.