A total of 368 candidates were in the fray, including 130 independent candidates, 10 candidates from Jumhoory Party (JP), 39 from The Democrats, Maldives Development Alliance (MDA) 4, Adhaalath Party (AP) 4, and Maldives National Party (MNP) 2 nominees.
How did a post from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on his recent visit to Lakshadweep, spark off social media comments from the Maldives? How does it relate to the Maldives government’s position on India of late? We explain.
Smaller states in the region have gone from being ‘pawns’ in fights between India and China, to using the big powers as ‘pawns’ in internal politics. Delhi must tread cautiously, engage with internal politics in the country, manage Ankara