UK polls expected to deliver a more diverse parliament, many British Indian MPs

London:

The UK general election is expected to deliver the most diverse Parliament in the country’s history, including the number of MPs of Indian heritage likely to be elected across the country.

According to analysis by British think tank Future, the Labor Party is expected to have by far the largest number of ethnic minority MPs if the party wins an overall majority, and even more so in a landslide victory scenario.

This time, with around 14 percent of MPs from an ethnic minority background, the analysis concludes that the new Parliament will be closer than ever to reflecting the diversity of the British electorate.

“These elections will see the biggest increase in ethnic minority representation and the most diverse Parliament ever,” said Sunder Katwala, Director of British Future.

“In the space of 40 years, we will have gone from zero to one in seven MPs from an ethnic minority. Britain is closing the gap between the diversity of Parliament and the electorate much faster than previously thought possible.” , he said. .

The last general election in 2019 resulted in 15 MPs of Indian origin crossing the line, many of whom are running again alongside several newcomers.

Conservative Party MP Alok Sharma and Labor veteran Virendra Sharma are among the most high-profile British Indians not seeking re-election this time, from Reading West and Ealing Southall respectively.

This latter constituency, with a large Punjabi electorate, has two British Sikh candidates running as independents – Sangeet Kaur Bhail and Jaginder Singh.

Some of the key British Indian candidates to watch in Thursday’s election include Praful Nargund, who is running for the Labor Party in Islington North – the seat of now-suspended former party leader Jeremy Corbyn, who is running as an independent candidate.

Jas Athwal is contesting in another Labor stronghold of Iford South, while Baggy Shanker in Derby South, Satvir Kaur in Southampton Test and Harpreet Uppal in Huddersfield are contesting more marginal seats for the party.

Indore-born former London Deputy Mayor for Business Rajesh Agrawal is fighting to become first-time MP for Leicester East and is up against a fellow British Indian Conservative, Shivani Raja.

This constituency, which represents a large electorate of Indian heritage, will be closely watched as its former long-time MP of Goan origin, Keith Vaz, is also in the race as an independent candidate.

Anglo-Indian Sikhs, including lawyer Warinder Juss, from Wolverhampton West in central England, and Gurinder Singh Josan, from Smethwick, hope to make gains for the Labor Party, as does Bihar-born Kanishka Narayan, who is running in the Valley from Glamorgan – hoping to be elected as Wales’ first Indian-origin MP, and Sonia Kumar hoping to overturn the Conservative majority in Dudley.

For the Conservative Party, Chandra Kanneganti in Stoke-on-Trent Central and Ameet Jogia in Hendon face a tough fight in a race consistently predicted to go in favor of the Opposition Labor Party.

“A diverse parliament brings different perspectives to its work, which can lead to more effective policymaking. MPs who come from different backgrounds can be role models for their communities, inspiring young people to vote and get involved in politics,” says Jill Rutter. , British Future Associate Fellow who led the think tank’s analysis.

Of the sitting MPs, the British Indians most vulnerable to a Labor upset at the election include Conservative MPs Shailesh Vara from North West Cambridgeshire, Gagan Mohindra from South West Hertfordshire and Claire Coutinho from East Surrey.

Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is expected to maintain his headquarters in Richmond and Northallerton, in the north of England, as are former cabinet colleagues Priti Patel in Witham, Essex, and Suella Braverman in Fareham and Waterlooville.

With a series of reforms and departures, largely from incumbent Conservatives, the new Parliament elected on Friday will see around 158 new MPs in the House of Commons.

(Except the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)