77 Indian military personnel in the Maldives

The new government of Maldives has disclosed there are 77 Indian soldiers in Maldives.

The number of Indian soldiers in the Maldives was revealed at a press conference held on the first official day of President Mohamed Muizzu's government on Sunday.

There are 77 Indian army officers, including two technical personnel, Public Policy Undersecretary Mohamed Firzul told reporters.

Firzul also detailed the presence of Indian troops in Maldives. These include: 25 to fly Indian-deputed Dornier aircraft, 24 to fly one of the two Indian-deputed helicopters, 26 to fly the second Indian-deputed helicopter and 2 officers for maintenance and engineering work.

Muizzu, who campaigned on altering the tiny Indian Ocean archipelago's "India first" policy, on Saturday requested India withdraw its military from the country.

Muizzu won the presidential election in September, ousting Ibrahim Solih in a runoff after promising to remove a small Indian military presence of some 75 personnel.

India and China have been vying for influence in the region, with the coalition backing Muizzu considered to be leaning more towards China.