India, Dec. 16 -- South Asia today presents a study in contrast. While India's polity and economy have maintained resilience, our immediate neighbourhood faces profound transitions that will shape the regional architecture for decades to come. Bangladesh, our largest land neighbour, stands at such a crossroads. After a student-led uprising ousted the Sheikh Hasina government last year, it is scheduled to hold its first general elections on February 12, 2026. How we navigate this moment will define not merely bilateral relations, but the broader question of what kind of regional and global power India aspires to be.

Over the past 15 years, Bangladesh emerged as one of India's most successful partnerships in South Asia, a template for what...