As Union Minister Kiren Riju attends the swearing-in ceremony of the Maldives President on Nov. 17, 2023, the issues surrounding the evolving China-Maldives relations and its impact on India-Maldives ties have gained momentum. It is particularly important due to the historical role played by Indian security forces in the Maldives and the future of these relations under the new regime. India and Maldives share multidimensional relations including ethnic, linguistic, and cultural ties. India was one of the foremost countries to recognise the independence of Maldives and was the first country to open resident missions in 1979. Furthermore, it was due to India’s intervention in 1988, that the Maldives government could be saved from a coup. Despite this rich history and strong bilateral ties, anti-India rhetoric and slogan such as ‘India Out’ has been frequently used in election campaigns in recent times. The 77 military personnel from India deployed in Maldives have been asked to leave immediately following the election victory of Present Muizzu