India has been elected unopposed as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the term 2021-22 with an overwhelming support of 184 votes in the 193-member General Assembly in the election held Wednesday.

“Member States elect India to the non-permanent seat of the Security Council for the term 2021-22 with overwhelming support,” India’s Permanent Mission to the UN tweeted.

Wednesday’s elections took place against the backdrop of the conflict in Ladakh with China, whom it will join on the Council in January.

New Delhi won the Asia Pacific seat on the highest decision-making body of the UN with the unanimous support of the countries in the 55-member group, with China and Pakistan, at least openly, conceding support in face of overwhelming backing for India from the others.

Though India ran unopposed from Asia, eight countries apparently did not vote for India in the secret ballot in which 192 of the 193 member nations participated.

India will be joining the UNSC on 1 January, 2021. It will be a two-year tenure.

After the vote, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, TS Tirumurti, said, “Our election to the United Security Council is a testament to Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi’s vision and his inspiring global leadership. His strong engagement across countries and across regions has clearly found resonance.”

Tirumurti also expressed his gratitude to the member states of the United Nations for this ringing endorsement.

Stating that combating terrorism is the most important priority for India, the official said, “We have been victims of decades of cross-border terrorism”.

“Peacekeeping has always been a part of our tradition and our history and our contribution to UN peacekeeping has been second to none. So, we will be looking very closely at issues relating to mandate and to see how we can provide greater protection to our peacekeepers,” he added.

Meanwhile, this is for the eight time that India has been elected to UNSC without veto powers, even as it pursues on a parallel track UN reforms aimed at getting a permanent seat.

India will replace Indonesia, whose term ends at the end of the year, on the Council and join Vietnam as one of the two non-permanent Asian members.

Along with India, Ireland, Mexico and Norway also won the Security Council elections held Wednesday. In a setback to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau who personally campaigned hard for the seat, Canada lost the elections.

The ten non-permanent Security Council seats are distributed among five regional groups and elections are held every year for the five that fall vacant on alternate years.

In a last-minute pitch, Tirumurti said in a video message, “India’s presence in the Security Council will help bring to the world our ethos that the world is one family — Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam.”

India on June 5 had laid out the priorities of its campaign to secure an elected seat on the UN Security Council with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar asserting that the country can play a “positive global role” at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic and its grave economic repercussions will test the world like never before.

Jaishankar at an event launched a brochure outlining India’s priorities for the United Nations Security Council (2020-2021) seat campaign.

Launching the bid, Jaishankar said India will seek responsible and inclusive solutions; concrete and result-oriented action at the UNSC for an effective response to international terrorism; reform multilateralism to reflect contemporary realities; a comprehensive approach to peace and security guided by dialogue, mutual respect and commitment to international law for which India also hopes to streamline UN peace keeping; and technology with a human touch.

The minister further said that since the last time when India had a seat at the UNSC, four different challenges have emerged.

First, the normal process of international governance has been under increasing strain as frictions have increased. Second, traditional and non-traditional security challenges continue to grow unchecked. Terrorism is the most egregious of such examples, he said.

Third, global institutions remain unreformed and under-representative and they are therefore, less able to deliver. Fourth, the COVID-19 pandemic and its grave economic repercussions will test the world like never before, he said.

In this extraordinary situation, India can play a positive global role, Jaishankar asserted.

“We have always been a voice of reason and a votary of international law. We advocate dialogue, consultation and fairness in our approach to global issues,” the minister said.

The minister further stated India’s approach will be guided by five ‘S’s, as set out by Prime Minister Narendra Modi — Samman (Respect), Samvad (Dialogue), Sahyog (Cooperation), and Shanti (Peace), to create conditions for universal and Samriddhi (Prosperity).

India’s last term on the UNSC was in 2011-12 and Hardeep Singh Puri, who was then India’s Permanent Representative and is now a minister, immediately afterwards planned to bid for its next term not wanting a long gap like the 19 years since the previous 1991-92 tenure.

Intense diplomacy by him and his successor, Asoke Mukerji, sealed India’s bid for the 2021-22 term.