In celebration of their triumph in the British general elections, the Punjabi Cultural Council (PCC) and the World Gatka Federation (WGF) on Friday greeted eleven Sikh Members of Parliament (MPs); among them were two-term MPs Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi and Preet Kaur Gill.
Community members now have substantial representation in the UK House of Commons, thanks to the Labour Party's resounding victory. The Sikh community's historic electoral victory was praised by Punjabi Cultural Council Chairman Harjeet Singh Grewal in a statement. He said that ten Sikh members, five of whom are women, have been elected to Parliament, all from the Labour Party.
Notably, Preet Kaur Gill from Birmingham Edgbaston and Dhesi from the Slough constituency were re-elected for a second term in a row, continuing their support of Sikh rights and other community issues in the UK Parliament.
Eight recently elected Sikh Members of Parliament are also making their first appearance in Parliament, which is a huge accomplishment for their community. The general secretary of the World Gatka Federation, Baljit Singh, also expressed gratitude to British voters and supporters for putting their faith in Sikh leaders who promote progress, unity, and change in the country.
Rishi Sunak lost the first UK election in which a party led by a British-Indian was elected. In Fray a total of 107 British Indians were present. Rishi Sunak the person who initiated the snap polls had a difficult task ahead of him. Without fail the Labour Party emerged victorious securing 412 seats in total.
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List of Sikh Candidates won Birtish Council Elections- |
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Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi |
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Preet Kaur Gill |
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Kirith Ahluwalia |
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Sonia Kaur Kumar |
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Harpreet Kaur Uppal |
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Satvir Kumar |
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Warinder Juss |
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Jeevun Sandher |
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Jas Athwal |
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Gurinder Singh Josan |
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Bhagat Singh Shankhar 'Baggy Shankar' |
Brief Information about the winning candidates-
Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi won the race for Slough by almost 3000 votes, defeating Independent Azhar Chohan. Jaspal Dhesi, the father of the first turbaned member of the House of Commons, presides over the biggest Gurudwara in the United Kingdom. Tan Dhesi has been vocal about issues such as the farmer's protest and Article 370, which have caused tension with New Delhi. He has also spoken out about the importance of human rights on an international scale and expressed disappointment that Sikhs who voice their opinions are labeled as Khalistani.
Preet Kaur Gill was elected in the constituency known for previously electing Neville Chamberlain to the House of Commons. Gill has faced criticism for alleged ties to Khalistani groups and for purportedly undermining Sikh victims of sexual violence in Gurudwaras.
Sonia Kaur Kumar of the Labour defeated Marco Longhi of the Conservative Party by nearly 2000 votes. She considers her labor nomination as an NHS therapist to be the greatest honor of her life. Two weeks before the election, Longhi sent a letter to the British Pakistani/Kashmiri community in Dudley, where he highlighted Kumar's last name and falsely claimed that she was leading the charge in denouncing the atrocities committed by the Indian government against the Kashmiri people.
Harpreet Kaur Uppal is close to becoming the first female MP in Huddersfield after winning with a majority of 4,500 votes. Uppal, who was born and raised in Fartown, expressed her deep gratitude for being elected MP for Huddersfield, her hometown and place of residence. She also has experience working in the NHS.
Baggy Shanker, who was fired as head of the Derby City council before the election, won the constituency by a margin of more than 6,000 votes. His candidacy as Derby MP was endorsed. by Margaret Beckett, a former member of parliament.
Gurinder Singh Josan, the inaugural Sikh member elected to the Labour Party's National Executive Committee (NEC), secured his seat with ease, surpassing the Reform UK candidate by a large margin. He has become a skeptic of Corbyn and has aligned his views with Starmer's direction.
Jas Athwal won the race for Ilford South, defeating Independent Noor Begum by close to 7000 votes. Athwal, who was born in the Indian state of Punjab, relocated to England with his family at the age of seven. He has had experience in the borough council elections and was initially suspended following claims of sexual harassment but was later exonerated of all charges.
Warinder Juss, a fresh face in the House, won a seat defeating the Tory candidate by almost 8000 votes. He is a personal injury attorney and ran a campaign advocating to keep neighborhood bars open.
Satvir Kaur won from Southampton, and is seen as a rising star in the Labour party. She expressed her focus on housing and her commitment to represent the Labor union at a conference in 2022 where she presented Starmer. She entered politics in 2010 after a meeting with local Member of Parliament John Denham and aspires to effect substantial change.
Kirith Ahluwalia made history by being the first woman to be elected MP from Bolton North East.
Jeevun Sandher, the Labour Party's candidate, was elected as the new Loughborough MP. Sandher leads the New Economics Foundation's economics department.