Tamkeen Shaikh,40 hailing from Ahmedabad is all set to fight her first parliamentary election in the poll to be held on December 12.
Tamkeen who is Conservative Parliamentary Candidate, is presently Busy with canvassing in Barking constituency. She said that compared to Indian elections,the candidates have to be very hands-on and interact more closely with their prospective voters.
“I was born in Ahmedabad, grew up in Navrangpura area and and attended Mount Carmel High School and HL College of Commerce. I studied journalism for study and career in the city before moving to the UK for higher studies in 2004,” added Shaikh.
A supporter of Brexit, Shaikh has a challenge of contesting against Margaret Hodge, a Labour party candidate, who has been holding the seat since 1994. The seat has remained with Labour party ever since the seat’s inception in 1940s. But she is unperturbed. “I have been active in social work for long and have engaged with the local community. That’s how I entered politics,” she said.
The constituency has a combination of locals and immigrants from Africa and Asia.
“I chose the Conservative Party for its stand on issues such as creating opportunities for business and innovation. I have pledged to improve social care, youth services and social enterprises after my win,” said the mother of two.
Experts point at the rise of Asian and Indian representatives in British politics in the past few years with sizeable populations living in cities including London and having local representation.
Priti Patel, British politician tracing her roots to Africa and India, is presently home secretary of the UK in the Boris Johnson government.
