New Delhi, Feb. 4: With Shashi Tharoor’s failed candidacy to UN secretary-general at last out of the way, India has staked claim to being a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for 2011-12 from the Asian quota.

Interestingly, India’s other partners in the G4 — Japan, Germany and Brazil — have also simultaneously bid for non-permanent membership during the same years.

Some amount of soul-searching also seems to be going on within the G4, on whether it should continue with its joint mission of expanding the permanent membership of the Security Council.

Last year’s G4 resolution on expanding the permanent membership has fallen through.

Although sources then claimed that all four countries are determined not to give up this plan of action, more and more, all four nations cannot escape the fact that the US, which continues to be the most powerful member of the Security Council, does not want the council expanded beyond a maximum of two members.

In fact, the US, despite the burgeoning relationship with India, had vetoed Tharoor’s case as UN secretary-general in favour of its treaty ally, South Korea’s Ban Ki-Moon.

Under the circumstances, a permanent membership becomes a dead dream or, at best, a terrible nightmare.

That is why Delhi felt it was better to pitch for non-permanent membership status.