A record number of Indian-origin politicians were elected to the House of Commons this week as the Labour Party returned to power after a 14-year hiatus. The long list includes some well-known Conservative MPs, including former Chancellor Rishi Sunak, who survived a tough overall result for the Conservatives, as well as a few new faces. Kerala-born Sojan Joseph made history by becoming the first Labour candidate to win in the 139-year-old Ashford constituency.
A total of 28 British Indians were elected to Parliament on Friday, with Labour leading the way. Party veterans Seema Malhotra (Feltham and Heston) and Lisa Nandy (Wigan) retained their seats, while Goa-born Valerie Vaz won in the newly created Walsall and Bloxwich constituency.
Meanwhile, Sojan Joseph won in Ashford, defeating veteran politician Damien Green, sparking celebrations in Kerala as the vote went in favour of the nurse, who has been living in the UK since 2002. Sojan hails from Kaipuzha, a small village in Kottayam district, and currently works as a mental health nurse with the Kent National Health Service.
“I am very happy. A Malayalee has played and won. He has been calling home every day,” his father told media on Friday.
Several British Sikh MPs also made it into the House of Commons on Friday, with Labour MPs Preet Kaur Gill and Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi regaining their seats. Navendu Mishra (Stockport) and Nadia Whittome (Nottingham East) were the other Labour MPs re-elected with overwhelming majorities.
Labour MPs elected for the first time include Jas Athwal (Ilford South), Baghy Shankar (Derby South), Satbir Kaur (Southampton Test), Harpreet Uppal (Huddersfield), Warinder Juss (Wolverhampton West), Gurinder Josan (Smethwick), Kanishka Narayan (Vale of Glamorgan), Sonia Kumar (Dudley), Sreena Brackenbridge (Wolverhampton North East), Kiris Entwistle (Bolton North East), Jiven Sundar (Loughborough) and Sojan Joseph (Ashford).
(With input from relevant agencies)
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