With the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) now in the driver’s seat in West Bengal, holding power in New Delhi since 2014 and controlling seven of the eight North-Eastern States, the party is well-positioned to shape geopolitics across India’s volatile eastern flank – a region that includes Nepal, Bangladesh, and Myanmar, and remains unstable, heavily militarised, and open to influence from external powers.
The BJP’s decisive electoral triumph in populous West Bengal on Monday significantly strengthens its political leverage in the East. The State shares a long border with Bangladesh, a country with which
India has had strained relations since the ouster of its ally Sheikh Hasina, in August 2024.
Strategic vulnerability of India’s East
India’s eastern region is highly sensitive. The most critical chokepoint is the Siliguri Corridor (popularly known as the Chicken’s Neck) in North Bengal, located at the tri-junction of India, Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh. This narrow strip of land serves as the sole overland lifeline connecting India’s mainland to its North-Eastern states – Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, and Mizoram. Any disruption here would severely hamper military mobility and logistical support to the region. The vulnerability was starkly highlighted during the 2017 Sino-Indian military standoff at Doklam, at the tri-junction of Sikkim, Bhutan, and China. Escalation could have enabled China to threaten the Siliguri Corridor further south.
India and China also maintain a long-standing dispute over Arunachal Pradesh, which Beijing continues to claim as part of ‘Zangnan’ (Southern Tibet). India has firmly rejected these assertions.
Persistent insurgencies and external meddling
Insurgencies in India’s North-East, driven by economic underdevelopment, historical grievances, and foreign support, have persisted for decades. While New Delhi has secured ceasefire agreements with groups such as the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-IM) and the United National Liberation Front (UNLF), others – including the People’s Liberation Army of Manipur – remain active.
Multiple reports indicate that China has supplied arms to Myanmar’s ethnic armed organisations, including the United Wa State Army and the Arakan Army. Some of these weapons have reportedly found their way across the porous Indo-Myanmar border into the hands of Indian insurgent groups. Paresh Baruah, leader of the United Liberation Front of Asom (Independent), who seeks an independent Assam, is believed to be based in China. For years, China’s People’s Liberation Army has also allegedly provided military training to Naga and Mizo rebels in Kunming.
India’s strategic response
To counter these challenges, India is actively strengthening its defences and regional engagement. From 18 to 31 May, the Indian Army will host the inaugural Exercise PRAGATI (Partnership of Regional Armies for Growth and Transformation in the Indian Ocean Region) at the Foreign Training Node in Umroi, Meghalaya.
The multinational drill, involving military contingents from nearly a dozen countries including Bhutan, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Cambodia, and Laos, underscores India’s Act East policy while aiming to bolster defences against perceived threats from China, and potentially Bangladesh and Pakistan.
Notably, Bangladesh has been excluded from the exercise, reflecting New Delhi’s lingering concerns over Dhaka’s reliability as a defence partner – particularly after the previous interim government under Muhammad Yunus engaged with Pakistan, including allowing a Pakistani military delegation to visit the Lalmonirhat airbase near the Siliguri Corridor.
China’s expanding footprint
Beijing has steadily expanded its influence in India’s north-eastern periphery through infrastructure projects, economic ties, and strategic partnerships.
Key initiatives include the following: (1) The China-Myanmar Economic Corridor, featuring the Kyauk Phyu Deep Sea Port and Special Economic Zone in Rakhine State – just 65 nautical miles from India’s Sittwe Port. (2) Hydropower projects on the lower reaches of the Brahmaputra in Nepal, raising concerns over water flow, flooding risks, and agricultural impacts in Arunachal Pradesh and Assam, (3) Flooding of the North-East with cheap Chinese goods routed through Myanmar.
Political instability in Bangladesh and ethnic conflicts in Myanmar continue to spill over into India’s North-Eastern states, fuelling arms trafficking and support for insurgent groups.
India’s counter-measures – development
On the development front, India is investing heavily in connectivity. A significant portion of railway tracks in the region has been electrified, and the Union Budget 2025-26 allocated substantial funds for new rail and road projects. The North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme targets both physical and social infrastructure. Japan has also been a key partner, contributing over 231 billion yen until mid-2022.
Flagship connectivity initiatives include the Imphal-Mandalay-Muse Trilateral Highway (linking Manipur to Thailand via Myanmar) and joint projects with Bangladesh on inland water transport, port-rail links, and cross-border railways.
Militarily measures
India has deployed the advanced Russian-built S-400 Triumf air defence system in the Siliguri Corridor. There is a multi-layered air defence network incorporating the indigenous Akash system, SHORAD, and VSHORAD units. India has stationed the Trishakti Corps (headquartered in Sukna, Siliguri), equipped with T-90 Bhishma tanks and modern artillery. The Brahmastra Corps (a mountain strike corps headquartered in Panagarh, West Bengal), is designed for rapid deployment and deep strikes along the Line of Actual Control with China.
Incidents such as the reported incursion of a Türkiye-made Bayraktar TB2 drone from Bangladesh and Dhaka’s interest in acquiring JF-17 Thunder fighter jets (a China-Pakistan co-production) have further heightened Indian concerns.
By consolidating control over West Bengal alongside its existing strongholds, the BJP is better placed to pursue a more assertive and coordinated strategy – blending infrastructure development, diplomatic outreach, and military modernisation – to secure India’s sensitive eastern frontier against external challenges.
The writer is a senior journalist and geopolitical analyst
