Dhaka, April 28 -- India's decision to appoint a former union minister, West Bengal political heavyweight Dinesh Trivedi, as its next high commissioner to Bangladesh marks a subtle but significant shift in the conduct of its diplomacy with Dhaka. In departing from the tradition of sending a senior serving career diplomat, India appears to be signalling that its relationship with Bangladesh now demands not just bureaucratic finesse, but overt political management.

Dhaka is no ordinary posting, and New Delhi has always chosen some of the finest in the Indian Foreign Service to be its top diplomat in the Bangladesh capital. Bangladesh sits at the intersection of India's neighbourhood policy, its Act East ambitions, and its strategic contest...