India’s UNSC Bid for 2028–29:
Following the conclusion of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, India has intensified its diplomatic campaign for a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for the 2028–29 term.
- The UNSC comprises 15 members: five permanent (P5) and 10 non-permanent members elected for staggered two-year non-consecutive terms.
- The 10 non-permanent seats are distributed geographically: African Group (3), Asia-Pacific Group (2), Latin American and Caribbean Group/GRULAC (2), Western European and Others Group/WEOG (2), and Eastern European Group (1). The Asia-Pacific seat becomes vacant once every year.
- Under the UN Charter, election to the UNSC requires a two-thirds majority of members present and voting in the 193-member UNGA, establishing an absolute minimum threshold of 129 affirmative votes if all member states vote.
- In most election cycles, regional groupings negotiate an informal candidate roster decades in advance, putting forward a single, uncontested candidate (clean slate) that passes the UNGA with overwhelming margins.
- India has served eight terms on the UNSC: 1950–51, 1967–68, 1972–73, 1977–78, 1984–85, 1991–92, 2011–12, and 2021–22.
