Emerging powers are re-shaping the norms and practices of international development. As the Indian economy continues to grow and the country bids for a seat at the great power table, the ambitions of India’s development partnerships are likely to expand in scale, scope, and geographical reach. This paper examines the challenges for India as a developing country and emerging economy building development partnerships with other southern states. It argues that India faces three main sets of challenges: an emerging power challenge, a development challenge, and a partnership challenge. The manner in which these challenges are negotiated will influence the extent to which India’s development partnerships meet their economic and strategic goals as well as the development priorities of its partners.