Why Jaishankar and not PM Modi may attend Maldives president's swearing-in

Archipelagic state's new leader is changing his predecessor's 'India First' policy

In all likelihood, Foreign Minister S Jaishankar, not Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi, will represent India at the November 17 swearing-in of Mohamed Muizzu, the new President of Maldives, according to informed sources.

This decision is attributed to the PM’s domestic preoccupations, including Assembly elections. However, in 2019, during a similar round of state elections, Modi attended the swearing-in ceremony of then-President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.

What has changed? How did Maldives transition from ‘India First’ to ‘India Out’? Worse, is geopolitics propelling India into becoming a factor in the domestic politics of Maldives?

The ‘India First’ policy was articulated by