Maldives polls today to test President's anti-India policy Amid Tensions

According to media reports, 368 candidates are contesting on 93 seats in the parliamentary election in an atmosphere that has been vitiated by the trading of charges between the main opposition the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) and the Muizzu’s People’s National Congress (PNC). Around 285,000 Maldivians are eligible to vote on Sunday, with results likely by early o Monday.

The archipelago nation, primarily known as one of the most expensive holiday destinations in South Asia, with pristine white beaches, became a geopolitical hotspot due to the recent developments from expelling the Indian military troops to awarding high-profile infrastructure contracts to Chinese state-owned companies.

Muizzu, who won last year's presidential election as a proxy for pro-China ex-president Abdulla Yameen, who was recently released after a court set aside his 11-year jail term in a corruption case, has an attitude tilting towards China and moving away from India.