Free trade agreement between India and Britain may be postponed, apprehensions increased after the announcement of general elections

There is a possibility of postponement of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between India and Britain after the sudden announcement by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak that general elections will be held in the country on July 4.

Just one month before the British general elections, on June 4, the results of the Lok Sabha elections in India will be announced. The Free Trade Agreement (FTA) that was supposed to be completed under the Sunak-led 'Conservative Party' government is now anticipated to be finalized following the general elections, despite the fact that political analysts and strategic experts are confident that the outcome will not significantly alter bilateral relations. Given the announcement, there's a chance of a postponement.

Talks on FTA between India and Britain began in January 2022 and are aimed at increasing bilateral trade. Currently, the trade between the two countries is about 38.1 billion pounds in a year.

In most of the pre-election surveys, the opposition party 'Labour Party' is ahead. Although the Labor Party has also committed to finalizing this agreement, nothing can be said about its time limit.

Rahul Roy Chowdhury, the senior fellow for South and Central Asian defense, strategy, and diplomacy at the London-based think tank 'International Institute for Strategic Studies' (IISS), said, "Rishi Sunak has announced elections on July 4." Surprised everyone. Due to this, the possibility of the Conservative government finalizing the much-awaited FTA with India has ended.

Dr C Bajpai, Senior Research Fellow, South Asia, Asia-Pacific Program at Chatham House, a British think tank, said, "Whatever the outcome of the elections in Britain, there should be continuity in its relations with India. ''