Politics straddling borders: Bipartisan engagement key for Northeast

With so much happening in the Northeast, more political engagement that is seen to be bipartisan is essential. What remains of 2025 and 2026 promises to be an eventful period for the region

Amid the din over electoral malpractices, two important events earlier this month went almost unnoticed. On August 1, the military junta in Myanmar announced it had lifted the emergency imposed in February 2021 as a precursor to elections to be held in December this year; and on August 5, Parliament extended the President’s rule in Manipur for another six months till February next year. The two events, seemingly unrelated, combined with possible general elections in Bangladesh in February 2026, will have a profound impact on politics in the Northeast. 

It is the world’s worst-kept secret that Myanmar is in the