The UK general election is expected to produce the most diverse Parliament in the country’s history, with a number of Indian-origin MPs to be elected from across the country.
According to analysis by the British Future think tank, if Labour wins an overall majority, the party will have the largest number of ethnic minority MPs ever, and the number could be even higher in the case of a landslide majority.
With around 14 per cent of MPs this time coming from ethnic minority backgrounds, analysis has found that the new Parliament will be closer than ever to reflecting the diversity of the British electorate.
Sunder Katwala, director of British Future, said: “This election will see the biggest increase in ethnic minority representation and the most diversity in Parliament ever.”
He said: “In the space of 40 years, we’ll go from zero to one in seven MPs from an ethnic minority background. The UK is closing the gap between the diversity of its parliament and its electorate at a faster rate than anyone thought possible.”
The last general election in 2019 saw 15 Indian-origin MPs quit the party, many of whom are contesting again along with first-time MPs.
Conservative Party MP Alok Sharma and Labour veteran Virendra Sharma, from Reading West and Ealing Southall respectively, are among the most high-profile British Indians not seeking re-election this time.
The constituency has a majority of Punjabi voters and two British Sikh candidates – Sangeet Kaur Bhail and Jaginder Singh – are contesting as independents.
Key British Indian candidates to watch out for in Thursday’s elections include Praful Nargund, who is contesting for the Labour Party from Islington North – the seat of the party’s now suspended former leader Jeremy Corbyn, who is contesting as an independent candidate.
Jas Athwal is contesting from Iford South, another Labour stronghold, while Baig Shankar from Derby South, Satvir Kaur from Southampton Test and Harpreet Uppal from Huddersfield are contesting more marginal seats for the party.
Indore-born Rajesh Aggarwal, former Deputy Mayor of London for Business, is contesting for the first time as MP from Leicester East and is up against British Indian Conservative candidate Shivani Raja.
The constituency, which has a large number of Indian-origin voters, will be under close scrutiny as its former Goa-origin MP Keith Vaz is also in the fray as an independent candidate.
British-Indian Sikhs, including solicitor Varinder Jooss from Wolverhampton West in central England and Gurinder Singh Josson from Smethwick, are hoping to make gains for Labour, as are Bihar-born Kanishka Narayan, contesting the Vale of Glamorgan – hoping to be elected as Wales’ first Indian-origin MP, and Sonia Kumar hoping to overturn a Tory majority in Dudley.
For the Conservative party, Chandra Kanneganti in Stoke-on-Trent Central and Ameet Jogia in Hendon are facing tough fights, with the contest being consistently tipped in favour of the opposition Labour party.
“A diverse parliament brings different perspectives to its work, which can lead to more effective policy-making. MPs 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.
Among the sitting MPs, the British Indian MPs most likely to be impacted by the Labour Party’s swing in the election include Tory 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 retain his seat of Richmond and Northallerton in northern England, as are former cabinet colleagues Priti Patel in Witham in Essex and Suella Braverman in Fareham and Waterlooville.
The new Parliament to be elected on Friday will include around 158 new MPs in the House of Commons, mostly of sitting Tories, following the retirements and departures of several MPs.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
