The China factor and the South Asian eye on India polls

Five countries in South Asia are electing new governments this year. Among them is India, which has been competing with China for a larger share of influence in the region. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government have repeatedly asserted that India is on its path to emerge as the vishwaguru in South Asia. But in the immediate neighbourhood, an intricate tapestry of bilateral interests and power equations have continued to define the Indian relationship with other Asian countries. Chinese influence looms large, and critics of the…