India on Wednesday won a seat on the United Nations Security Council, making it one of the five non-permanent members in the 15-nation council for 2021-22.
India was elected to the seat from the Asia-Pacific category with 184 votes from the 192 member states in attendance. India’s candidature was unanimously endorsed by the 55-member Asia-Pacific grouping in June 2019.
The 193-member UN General Assembly held elections for president of the 75th session of the Assembly and five non-permanent members of the Security Council.
Ambassador T.S. Tirumurti, Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations, had said in an interview with the Financial Express that on becoming a non-permanent member, India will get the opportunity to actively shape the COVID-19 and post-COVID scenario.
In the past, India has gained a non-permanent seat into the Security Council in 1950- 1951, 1967-1968, 1972-1973, 1977-1978, 1984-1985, 1991-1992 and most recently in 2011-2012.
Between 1950 and 1951, India’s representative to the UNSC was Sir Benegal Narsing Rau, who also played a part in drafting the Constitution of India. Between 1967-1968, the position was held by former journalist G. Parthasarathy; between 1972 and 1973, civil servant Samar Sen held the position; Rikhi Jaipal was the representative between 1977 and 1978; during 1984-1985, the position was held by Natarajan Krishnan; C.R. Gharekhan held the position from 1991 to 1992; and during 2011-2012, the position was held by former IFS officer Hardeep Singh Puri, who is currently the minister of civil aviation.
The United States in the past has supported India’s candidature to be a permanent member in the UNSC along with Japan. The United Kingdom, France and Russia, too, have supported India for a permanent candidature on the Security Council.