The BJP’s rise in West Bengal and consolidation in Assam presents a rare political opportunity to revitalise India’s engagement with its eastern neighbourhood. At the same time, leadership transitions in Dhaka and Kathmandu offer Prime Minister Narendra Modi a chance to revisit India’s regional policy. For the first time in years, the political geography within India and across its eastern periphery are in alignment with an ambitious regional agenda. Elections have political consequences; when they occur in border states, they also have foreign policy implications. Divergences between the Centre and border states have long complicated India’s neighbourhood policy. Nowhere has this been more evident than in West Bengal, Assam, and Tamil Nadu , where local political calculations have often clashed with national foreign policy priorities. Over time, regional leaders in bordering states have often become diplomatic spoilers, with an effective veto over Delhi ’s external engagement with neighbouring countries.…