Jagjit Pavadia has been re-elected with the highest number of votes by the UN Economic and Social Council to a five-year term on International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), while China’s candidate lost. Pavadia polled 44 votes in May in the first round of voting in the 54-member Council facing a field of 15 candidates for the five seats up for election this year ensuring her continuance on the board.

The defeat of China’s Hao Wei in his bid for re-election bid was glaring because of Beijing’s strong campaign backed by its Yuan diplomacy across the developing countries. He got only 22 votes in the first round and 19 in the second. A minimum of 28 votes were required for election.

Only two other candidates, Jallal Toufiq of Morocco and Cesar Tomas Arce Rivas of Paraguay received more than the minimum votes needed for election in the first round and Bernard Leroy of France and Viviana Manrique Zuluaga of Colombia were elected in the next round.They will begin their term on March 2, next year.

The next big election where India is fielding a candidate is for the Food and Agriculture Organisation. Ramesh Chand, a member of the NITI Aayog, will face four other candidates at the FAO Conference in Rome next month to succeed Jose Graziano da Silva.