Elections for 5 non-permanent seats of UNSC on June 17; India stands unopposed in Asia pacific seat

The elections for the 5 non-permanent seats of United Nations Security Council will take place on 17th June with India being one of the candidates.

India will be standing unopposed for the Asia Pacific seat which is currently held by Indonesia and had announced its candidacy for the the2021-2022 term in November 2013. It was endorsed by the Asia Pacific group in June 2019.

All in All 7 member states--Canada, Djibouti, India, Ireland, Kenya, Mexico and Norway are in the fray. For one seat of Africa--Djibouti and Kenya are standing, for 2 seats of western Europe and others--3 countries, Canada, Ireland and Norway standing. For the Asia Pacific and Latin America and Caribbean seat--India and Mexico stand unopposed.

As the founding member of the world body, India has served 7 times as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. 

The UN said in its candidature India "emphasised its unique position as a democratic country with a population of over one billion" and "As one of the largest troop and police contributors...its durable commitment to UN peacekeeping."

As of 30 April, India contributes 5,434 personnel to nine UN peace operations, predominantly the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), followed by the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO).

"India would seek to advance discussions on counter-terrorism related issues," said a UN document on upcoming UNSC election, "emphasising the need for better regional and international cooperation to combat terrorism."

New Delhi has been a long-standing proponent of Security Council reform, including the expansion of its membership (both permanent and non-permanent) to better reflect contemporary geopolitical realities. 
 
Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan usually has a rotating presence at the UNSC and usually, South Asian countries rarely run against each other. One exception occurred in 1975 when India and Pakistan contested the same seat and eight rounds of voting were needed before Pakistan prevailed. 
 
Due to the ongoing pandemic, the election this time will be different. The President of the General Assembly will give at least ten days’ notice to UN member states of the date of the elections and a designated venue for casting ballots. Member states would cast ballots during designated time slots and at a specified venue.