India

This information is from our Brexit archives, documenting what different countries thought of the negotiations, their relationship with the UK and priorities in the negotiations.

This page was last updated in 2020.

President Prime Minister	Ram Nath Kovind (Bharatiya Janata Party, since July 2017) Narendra Modi (Bharatiya Janata Party, since May 2014)
Population	1,352,642,280 (2018)
Size	3,287,263 km² (1,269,219 sq. miles)
Next presidential election Next legislative election	2022 2024
Last meeting with Boris Johnson	25 August 2019
Relationship with the UK	The key points discussed so far between the UK and India are bilateral trade and investment relations and the UK’s willingness to improve its visa offer to Indian citizens in return for increased cooperation in returning people who have overstayed their visas and currently reside in the UK illegally. With Theresa May, PM Modi laid the ground for a possible post-Brexit bilateral free trade deal and signed off on a series of commercial agreements worth up to £1 billion.
What India said on Brexit	The Indian government has tended to avoid direct comments on Brexit.
India’s priorities	India held elections in May 2019. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of PM Modi increased its majority in parliament compared to 2014. Rahul Gandhi’s opposition Indian National Congress (INC) and its allies were unable to make any gains. One of the main priorities for this government is to boost the economy by building smart cities, investing in technology, cutting red tape and complementing anti-inflation efforts. It also seeks to adopt simpler and fairer land acquisition law and reform the tax system to attract more foreign direct investment. In terms of foreign policy, this Government has made an effort improve relationships with other countries, including Japan, the US and the UK.