Kathmandu, April 8 -- India's two major political parties, Bharatiya Janata Party and Indian National Congress, appear sharply divided over their approaches when it comes to taking forward two major regional groupings-SAARC and BIMSTEC-as the country heads to polls this week.

The election manifesto of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, unveiled on Monday in New Delhi, talks about expediting BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) but has dropped the mention of SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation). In contrast, the Congress party in its manifesto is silent on BIMSTEC, while it makes a push for SAARC.

Though foreign policy issues do not dominate India's elections, how De...