Fifteen Indian-origin candidates across both Conservative and Labour party won in the United Kingdom’s General Election on Friday, PTI reported.
The Conservatives secured a sweeping victory, winning more than 360 of the 650 seats in the House of Commons – the party’s largest majority since under Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s.
Former Home Secretary Priti Patel won a comfortable majority and is likely to remain in Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s new Cabinet. “This has been a hard-fought election in a very cold time of the year because we needed a functioning Conservative majority,” said Patel, who polled 32,876 votes at her Witham constituency in Essex and held on to a majority of 24,082 for the party.
“We are committed to deliver on priorities and getting Brexit done is a priority,” she added. “The deal is there, we want to move forward.”
Rishi Sunak, the son-in-law of Infosys founder NR Narayana Murthy, also secured a resounding victory with 36,693 votes, marking a majority for the Tories of 27,210. The 39-year-old has been the MP for Richmond, Yorkshire, since 2015.
Former International Development Secretary Alok Sharma won 24,393 votes from Reading West. Former minister Shailesh Vara retained his seat in North West Cambridgeshire by 25,983 votes. Suella Braverman, a Conservative MP from Goa, won from Fareham constituency and received 36,459 votes. “Great teamwork in the rain, the cold and the dark,” she tweeted after the results. “All patriots who want to get Brexit done with Boris Johnson.”
Gagan Mohindra and Claire Coutinho of the Conservative party, Navendru Mishra of the Labour party and Munira Wilson of the Liberal Democrats were among the first-time winners.
Sikh MPs Preet Kaur Gill and Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi were re-elected from Birmingham Edgbaston and Slough in south-east England, respectively.
Labour’s Virendra Sharma won comfortably from Ealing Southall seat with 25,678 votes. He has held the seat since 2007 General Elections and was expected to win.
Lisa Nandy won Wigan seat with 21,042 votes and Seema Malhotra clinched Feltham and Heston with 24,876 votes.
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