Alternate colonies we would like to suceed

Something to do with India not being so dominated by the British. Of course, Portugal and France retained (relatively) small possessions around port cities until after independence/partition, but what if before the British East India Company consolidated control over such a vast subcontinent, other European powers and their EICs did the same?

Portugal is the most promising since they could(?) replace Britain as the dominant power in India. They were there first, so to speak (Vasco da Gama in 1498), and went on to establish themselves across India (incl. Bombay!) in the 16th century. I saw someone ITT talk about France's efforts in Brazil - let's say they gained the upper hand there and Portugal turned its attention to India.
Just going off their OTL pattern of colonisation, a 'Portuguese Raj' would likely be centred on the south and west: along the west coast from Surat/southern Gujarat to Ceylon, through Kerala, across the Dravidian/Tamil heartland. I can't quite imagine what the economic/cultural implications of such a heavy Portuguese presence in Indian would mean, for both countries.

Then there's the Netherlands. The Dutch EIC would end up focused on Indonesia, but they were very active in trading in India throughout the 17th century. This is around the peak of Dutch power, so maybe they could zero in on India as THE place to make money. IOTL, they managed to capture a number of Portuguese outposts, and had possessions throughout the subcontinent (incl. the interior).
A Dutch Raj could be extensive, stretching east through Bengal to Burma; westward to Gujarat, passing through Agra. However, it would remain centred in the south (Malabar, Ceylon, and esp. the Coromandel Coast), where there was the highest concentration of Dutch posts. The main obstacle here would be the Netherlands's priority of capital over settlement/colonisation in the republican era.

France was there too. Beyond Pondicherry, they were most active along the east coast, going up to Bengal. Perhaps the loss of their North American colonies would beckon them to go all-out in India in the late 18th century...but then again they were basically bankrupt and moving towards revolution. It would require either an earlier POD, or something crazy like Napoleon getting involved. Any way, if Britain (or another power) was not so well established, I wouldn't put it past France to take a chance to expand in the 19th century.

Most out-there is...Denmark. The Danes had two periods of heavy activity in India: the early 17th c., and the mid/late 18th. The latter seems a bit more effective, though Denmark was never all that established in India. But for AH purposes, I could see them retaining a small possession i.e. Portuguese Goa/French Pondicherry. Maybe Tharangambadi/Tranquebar on the central coast of Tamil Nadu? Considering how Denmark's colonial empire faltered, it would be cool to see a presence in India running into the 20th century.

You could even have India divided to the point of multiple colonies: British, Portuguese, Dutch, French, and maybe Danish. Running into modern times and decolonisation, you could have multiple Indian countries along those lines, and/or a history of bitter rivalry between those colonies/states.
in whatever case, Britain's lack of large/entrenched rule in India would make a huge difference. What would be Britain's "crown jewel"? Would they become more invested in Africa in the 19th century? Or maybe taking a stab at China via the south (Hong Kong/Canton)? or even pressing their luck in North America via Canada and vs. the US?
 
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