With BRICS expanding, can it remain a cohesive voice for reform of global governance? Critically analyse India's role.

BRICS now has more than double its original five members. In October 2026 India hosts the 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum in New Delhi, with reform of global governance on its agenda [1]. Expansion gives BRICS a wider voice but makes cohesion harder. India's role is constructive but limited.

Expansion as a strength

• Wider legitimacy: the parliaments of all 10 members took part at Brasília in 2025. This gives the Global South voice more weight [2].
• Consensus is still possible: the Brasília declaration condemned the Pahalgam attack and agreed on zero tolerance on terrorism. Members also found common ground on AI and trade [2].
• Broader agenda: ethical AI, digital transformation and sustainable development widen what "reform" means [1].

Expansion as a strain

• Uneven engagement: Saudi Arabia and Ethiopia declined the Delhi forum [1]. Saudi Arabia's membership status is still unsettled.
• Divergent interests: rival members, such as India–China and Iran–Gulf states, push texts toward the lowest common denominator.
• Declarations, not decisions: forum outcomes do not bind anyone. Demands for UNSC and WTO reform repeated each year [3] have not yet changed those bodies.

India's role: contributions

• Agenda-setter: India's 2026 Chairship brings the 18th Summit and the Parliamentary Forum to New Delhi in the same year [4]. This lets India link the government and parliamentary tracks.
• Consistent reformer: Speaker Om Birla called for UNSC and WTO reform at Brasília [3].
• Bridge power: India's multi-alignment helps keep BRICS "non-Western, not anti-Western".

India's role: limits

• India–China rivalry blocks a common BRICS position on UNSC expansion.
• Credibility at home: the Leaders of Opposition were not separately invited, while the PM will attend [1]. This weakens the message of "people-centric parliaments".

An expanded BRICS can stay cohesive on specific issues such as terrorism, AI governance and development, though not as a single bloc. As Chair, India can be most useful by turning forum declarations into Summit commitments and by sending inclusive, cross-party delegations. Doing so would advance reformed multilateralism and SDG 16.8, which calls for a greater voice for developing countries in global institutions.