Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu has announced that the second batch of Indian military personnel from the archipelago country has departed.
He stressed that the third and final group of Indian servicemen will leave Male by May 10, the date previously agreed upon between the two sovereign states.
"There is only one platform left. As the two countries have already signed, they [the remaining Indian military personnel] will also be recalled ahead of May 10. They will leave," Muizzu said while campaigning for his political party People's National Congress' candidates ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for April 21.
Among the three military platforms that India operated in the Maldives were two helicopters and a maritime surveillance aircraft.
Last month, the first batch of Indian personnel operating a helicopter for humanitarian emergencies left the Maldives.
The withdrawal deadline came in the aftermath of Muizzu's victory in last year's Maldivian Presidential election. He made removing Indian military personnel from the archipelagic state his central policy plank, straining diplomatic ties with New Delhi.
That is despite India's history as the Maldives' most trusted strategic partner, even helping reverse an armed coup d'etat in 1988.
It is also Male's largest trading partner, with transactions reaching $780 million last year.