India sends two parliamentary delegations to UNGA, reviving a tradition paused for two decades

Two multi-party groups of Indian MPs, led by BJP’s P P Chaudhary and Daggubati Purandeswari — will represent India’s democratic voice at the 80th UN General Assembly in New York this month.

India’s Parliament will have a presence at the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), not through diplomats or bureaucrats this time, but through elected MPs.

Two multi-party delegations of lawmakers will travel to New York in October to join the global discussions, showcasing India’s democratic diversity on the world stage.

According to PTI, the first group, led by BJP MP P P Chaudhary, will attend the Assembly from October 8 to 14, while the second, headed by BJP leader and Andhra Pradesh BJP president Daggubati Purandeswari, will participate from October 27.

A showcase of India’s democratic mix

The delegations bring together MPs from across political lines, an intentional mix meant to underline India’s multi-party and pluralistic political identity.

The first group includes Anil Baluni, Nishikant Dubey, and Ujjwal Nikam from the BJP, Vivek Tankha and Kumari Selja from the Congress, Rajeev Rai of the Samajwadi Party, and N K Premachandran from the Revolutionary Socialist Party.

The second group, which travels later in the month, features V D Sharma, Dilip Saikia, Rekha Sharma from the BJP, Manoj Kumar Jha of the RJD, P Wilson from the DMK, G K Vasan of the TMC (M), and Sandeep Kumar Pathak from the AAP, among others.

What makes these delegations different

Interestingly, these are described as 'non-official' delegations, meaning they don’t formally represent the Indian State in diplomatic terms. Instead, they are seen as representatives of India’s democratic system, giving parliamentarians a platform to engage in global dialogue on peace, development, and human rights.

An MP familiar with the development told PTI that such delegations are meant to project India’s unity in diversity at the UN, reflecting how its democracy debates issues at home and contributes to them abroad.

Another MP noted that India has a long tradition of sending parliamentary representatives to the UNGA, though this practice was briefly 'interrupted' in 2004, and is now being revived with renewed emphasis on parliamentary diplomacy.

Calling the upcoming participation an honour, Daggubati Purandeswari said, “The UNGA is a vital platform where member nations come together to discuss global issues, from peace and security to development and human rights. I look forward to representing our nation and contributing to these deliberations on the world stage.”