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New Delhi
New Delhi has appointed former Union minister Dinesh Trivedi as India’s next High Commissioner to Bangladesh, marking a shift from the usual practice of sending career diplomats to this key post. The appointment comes as India looks to reset its ties with its eastern neighbour, especially after the change of government in Dhaka.
Trivedi, a senior BJP leader and former MP from Barrackpore in West Bengal, will replace career diplomat Pranay Verma, a 1994‑batch Indian Foreign Service officer who served as High Commissioner to Bangladesh from September 21, 2022 and has now moved to Brussels as India’s envoy to the European Union. Politically, Trivedi was earlier with the Trinamool Congress and served as Union Minister for Railways and as Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare during the UPA regime. He left the Trinamool Congress in February 2021 and joined the BJP.
Analysts say appointing a politician with long experience in governance, rather than a career diplomat, signals that New Delhi wants to prioritise political channels for sensitive engagements with Bangladesh. Trivedi is among the few politicians from West Bengal to hold a major diplomatic position, a move that observers see as part of a broader “strategic reset” in India–Bangladesh relations. His appointment is expected to play a key role in managing trade, security, border issues and regional cooperation in the coming years.
