Sri Lanka is preparing for its first national election since the financial default of 2022. Scheduled for September 21, 2024, this pivotal election features over 30 candidates, including President Ranil Wickremesinghe and opposition leader Sajith Premadasa.

As Sri Lanka heads to its first elections since the massive protests of 2022 and the crippling economic crisis that has brought it to its knees, here is how the field is placed — and why India is watching the race closely.

New Delhi is said to be backing Sajith Premadasa of the SJB, a party that is not only more pro-India but also committed to implementing the 13th Amendment.

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi is visiting the main city in Himalayan Kashmir to campaign for his party in the staggered local election in a first such vote since New Delhi stripped the disputed region’s semi-autonomy in 2019.

It is the first such vote since India's government stripped the disputed region of its special status five years ago.

Voters queued outside polling stations in India's Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday to vote in the first provincial election being held in a decade in the Himalayan region that has grappled with years of militant violence.