Myanmar’s parliamentary by-elections will be held on April 1. Over 160 candidates belonging to seventeen parties will contest for 45 seats in the parliament. Moreover, Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the opposition party, will be standing for the elections for the first time.
On the request of the Government of Myanmar to send observers for the polls, India has selected P.C. Lawmkunga and Maninder Singh, the chief election officers of Manipur and Assam, respectively, to help the Myanmar government ensure free and fair elections.
Over the years, India-Myanmar bilateral relations have developed and diversified considerably. Trade between the two countries has grown exponentially; from US$ 12.4 million in 1980-81, it has reached to US$ 1.2 billion in 2009-10. Moreover, A large population of Indian origin (according to some estimates about 2.5 million) reside in Myanmar.
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