Authors: Disha Bisht, Mitali Upadhyay, Komal Shelar, Mahak Prajapati, Marilyn Anand, Neelam Singh, Pawani Arora, Rosy Rosalin Patra Table of Contents 1. Abstract 2. Introduction 2.1 Historical Background 2.2 Methodology 3.  Literature Review 3.1 Introduction to Literature Review 3.2 Argument 1 3.3 Argument 2 3.4 Argument 3 3.5 Conclusion 4. Data Analysis and Interpretation 4.1 Introduction 4.2 Method of Analysis 4.3 Quantitative Analysis of India’s UNGA Voting Behaviour 4.4 Theme I: Strategic Autonomy in India’s UNGA Voting Behaviour 4.5 Theme II: Strategic Autonomy and Networked Alignment 4.6 Theme III: Issue-Based Decision Making 4.7 Theme IV: Challenges to Strategic Autonomy 5.  Discussion 5.1 Discussion of Findings 5.2 Summary of Findings 6. Conclusion and Recommendations 6.1 Conclusion 6.2 Recommendations 7. References 1. Abstract The voting behaviour of India in the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) serves as an important tool for studying India’s changing foreign policy and attempts to find a balance between strategic autonomy and the increasing number of global partnerships. The current study focuses on India’s UNGA voting patterns from 2000 to 2026 in order to evaluate how India’s foreign policy changes from non-alignment to strategic autonomy, multi-alignment, and a networked approach to foreign policy. In order to do that, the study uses a mixed-methods research design, which includes both quantitative analysis of India’s voting record in the UN General Assembly in various issue areas and qualitative analysis of Explanations of Vote (EoV), government documents, and historical case studies of India’s voting in the UNGA. Special focus is put on the most important geopolitical events, such as the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the Israel-Palestine conflict, and India’s relationships with the Global South. The main question that is discussed within the context of this research design is whether India’s flexible foreign policy approach reflects strategic autonomy or a reactive hedging strategy. The research will contribute to larger debates concerning the diplomacy of rising powers, multilateralism, and foreign policy-making in the multipolar international system. Keywords: India; United Nations General Assembly (UNGA); Strategic Autonomy; Multi-alignment; Global Partnerships; Voting Behaviour; Foreign Policy; Global Governance. 2. Introduction In the new international order, which is becoming increasingly fractured and increasingly subject to intense competition between great powers, a nation’s vote in the UN General Assembly (UNGA) stands for much more than merely expressing its foreign policy preferences; it stands for a country’s strategic interests, international positioning, and its vision for the new world order. As an emerging economic superpower with a trajectory that is among the highest in the world, India has garnered growing policy and scholarly interest precisely due to its uniquely successful strategy of maintaining autonomy of decision-making in pursuit of an expanding network of ties and partnerships. UNGA, although it has non-binding decisions, is still among the world’s largest gatherings to understand countries’ foreign policy interests, preferences, and actions in major international crises and to make sense of diplomatic engagements (Voeten, 2012). UNGA voting behaviour represents the ideological commitments of emerging powers as well as broader geopolitical calculations, domestic interests, and developing international partnerships. India’s voting behaviour has attracted considerable academic interest, given its status as one of the world’s largest democracies and a rising global actor, and its unique ability to engage simultaneously with competing power centres while maintaining its distinct foreign policy identity. 2.1 Historical Background Historically, India’s foreign policy has been influenced by the principles of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) emphasising sovereignty, anti-colonialism, peaceful coexistence, and strategic independence (Pye & Mohan, 2004). However, the evolving nature of the international system after the Cold War era, the rise of China, economic globalization, technological competition, and a shifting security environment have led to a shift in the pattern of external engagements of India. Instead of maintaining a strict non-alignment policy, the foreign policy of India is now seeking ‘strategic autonomy’ or multi-alignment and networked alignment through which it is working with many states in the international arena, some of which are competitors, without entering any alliance with them (Hall, 2019; Schottli, 2019). Through such a strategy, India can secure the maximum diplomatic freedom while protecting its national interests in terms of security, economics, technology, and geopolitics. This evolving foreign policy strategy is reflected in the voting behaviour of India in the UN General Assembly. The current voting behaviour of India, as it presents a range of issues before the voter, is not divided on the basis of ideological opposites. This issue-based, pragmatic voting has allowed India to free itself from the inflexibilities of a fixed bloc-based geopolitical allegiance.  Recent international developments – the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the Israel-Palestine conflict, discussions on Iran, nuclear disarmament, digital governance, climate negotiations, and reforms of international institutions have further showcased India’s preference for calibrated engagement. India has always abstained from resolutions against major powers and reiterated its commitment to international law, territorial integrity, peaceful discourse and the principles of the UN Charter. Such voting behaviour exemplifies India’s endeavour to strike a balance between strategic autonomy and increasing partnerships involving the United States, Russia, Europe, the Global South and regional organisations such as BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) (Jaishankar, S, 2020). There is an increasing amount of literature on India’s evolving foreign policy, but many important questions remain unanswered. It includes India’s transition from non-alignment to multi-alignment, defence pacts, Indo-Pacific strategy, and great power relations (Hall, 2019; Pye & Mohan, 2004; Pant & Joshi, 2022). Likewise, quantitative studies have employed UNGA voting similarity indices to examine India’s international alignments (Bailey et al., 2017). However, much of this research is focused on either isolated foreign policy events or bilateral relations with specific powers. Very few studies have attempted to examine India’s UNGA voting behaviour as a comprehensive measure of strategic autonomy over a long period of time on different geopolitical issues. Aggregate voting analyses also tend to ignore the political context, reasons for votes, and issue-specific strategic considerations that shape India’s diplomatic decisions. Some concepts, while closely overlapping, are not interchangeable. Non-alignment mainly encapsulates India’s decision in the Cold War era not to