Record 26 Indian-Origin MPs Set To Enter UK Parliament

by Pabitra Mohan Senapaty

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

A record number of 26 Indian-origin MPs are set to enter the UK Parliament after Friday's General Election results, marking a significant increase from 15, five years ago.

New Delhi, July 6: A record number of 26 Indian-origin MPs are set to enter the UK Parliament after Friday's General Election results, marking a significant increase from 15, five years ago.

Conservative Party leader Rishi Sunak, the first Indian-origin person to have served as the UK Prime Minister, leads the pack after having secured victory from Richmond and Northallerton constituency in Yorkshire.

Apart from Sunak, 25 other Indian-origin MPs -- including 20 from the Labour Party and five Conservatives -- also emerged victorious on Friday.

Priti Patel, Conservative MP of Gujarati descent, won from Witham, Essex. Patel, who has served in various capacities, including Secretary of State for International Development, has been representing the constituency since 2010.

Gagan Mohindra, a prominent politician from a Punjabi Hindu background, secured his seat in South West Hertfordshire. Mohindra has been a Conservative MP since 2019, following his initial election as a Parish Councillor in 2004.

Labour Party leader Seema Malhotra retained her Feltham and Heston constituency for a fourth term since 2011. Malhotra has held several shadow ministerial roles, including Shadow Minister for Skills and Further Education.

Valerie Vaz, Labour leader of Goan origin, won the Walsall and Bloxwich constituency for the fifth time. Vaz, who has been an MP since 2010, has served as the Shadow Leader of the House of Commons.

Lisa Nandy retained her seat in Wigan, making her the constituency's first female MP and one of the first Asian female MPs since 2010. She has served as the Shadow Cabinet Minister for International Development.

Nadia Whittome, who made history in 2019 as the UK's youngest MP at the age of 23, was re-elected from Nottingham East.

Preet Kaur Gill, the UK's first female Sikh MP, defeated Conservative Ashvir Sangha in Birmingham, a seat she has held since 2017. Gill has served as the Shadow Minister for Primary Care and Public Health.

Labour Party's Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi retained his Slough constituency, although with a reduced victory margin.

Conservative leader Shivani Raja won the Leicester East constituency, where she was fielded against another Indian-origin Labour candidate, Rajesh Agrawal.

44-year-old Conservative MP Suella Braverman, who was embroiled in controversies and dismissed by the party for her statements, won from the Fareham and Waterlooville constituency for the fourth consecutive time.

Additionally, other Indian-origin Labour MPs to be elected to the UK's House of Parliament include Navendu Mishra, Jas Athwal, Baggy Shanker, Satvir Kaur, Harpreet Uppal, Warinder Juss, Gurinder Josan, Kanishka Narayan, Sonia Kumar, Sureena Brackenbridge, Kirith Entwistle, Jeevun Sandher, Sojan Joseph and Murina Wilson.

--IANS

How The Mohan Majhi Government Achieved Its ‘Zero Casualty’ Mission

by Argus News

Bhubaneswar, Oct. 25: With Cyclone Dana looming over Odisha, the stakes were high, and the threat of severe loss of life and property was imminent. Yet, under Chief Minister Mohan Majhi, the Odisha government was resolute in its commitment to confront the disaster head-on, aiming for a “Zero Casualty” outcome.

On October 21, upon receiving the cyclone forecast from the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Chief Minister Majhi quickly mobilized the state’s disaster management machinery. He convened an emergency meeting, attended by ministers and key officials, to establish a comprehensive plan for relief, rescue, and post-cyclone recovery operations. All leave for government employees was cancelled, and reinforcements were mobilized. This included National Disaster Rapid Action Force (NDRF) teams from Punjab, along with Odisha’s own Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF), Fire Services, and a significant number of volunteers.

To safeguard the most vulnerable populations, including elderly residents, children, and pregnant women, the government evacuated over 584,000 people to 8,322 cyclone shelters under the supervision of trained healthcare workers. This strategic approach allowed for the safe delivery of more than 1,600 babies in specially designated maternal care units, highlighting the proactive measures taken by the state.

Majhi took a hands-on approach, overseeing operations on the ground throughout Thursday night and surprising many by arriving early Friday morning at the state secretariat to review the ongoing relief efforts. Nine ministers, including Deputy Chief Ministers KV Singhdeo and Pravati Parida, and six senior bureaucrats were dispatched to the affected districts to lead ground-level operations.

At a Friday press briefing, Chief Minister Majhi expressed his gratitude to colleagues, officials, rescue teams, and media personnel for their dedication in minimizing the impact of Cyclone Dana. He attributed the success to both divine protection and the state’s coordinated, swift response. “By the grace of Lord Jagannath, Cyclone Dana could not inflict significant damage,” Majhi said, crediting the dedicated efforts of NDRF, ODRAF, Fire Services, healthcare workers, and various government departments.

As recovery efforts began, Majhi instructed district collectors to assess damages to crops and homes quickly so that a compensation package could be prepared. “We’ve directed district collectors to submit their reports without delay. Once received, we’ll finalize the compensation package,” he assured. Efforts to clear uprooted trees and restore power were well underway, with full restoration anticipated by evening.

Odisha’s response to Cyclone Dana stands as a testament to the state’s resilience and unity. The achievement of the “Zero Casualty” mission reflects the strength and solidarity of its people and leadership. In acknowledgment of these efforts, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah reached out to CM Majhi, commending Odisha’s preparedness and efficient response to the disaster.

Read More Odisha News

Sushant Singh Rajput Case: SC Breather For Rhea Chakraborty As Plea Against Quashing LOCs Dismissed

by Pabitra Mohan Senapaty

New Delhi, Oct 25: The Supreme Court on Friday refused to entertain a plea filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) challenging the Bombay High Court's decision to quash the Look Out Circulars (LOCs) issued against actress Rhea Chakraborty and her family members in connection with Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput death case.

A bench headed by Justice B.R. Gavai came down heavily on the CBI's counsel and cautioned that not only it will impose exemplary cost but will also reward the probe agency with "compliments".

The Bench, also comprising Justice K.V. Vishwanathan, was possibly hinting recording of adverse comments against the CBI in its judicial order for filing "frivolous" plea merely because the accused were "high profile".

In its decision delivered in February this year, the Bombay High Court had quashed and set aside the LOCs issued against Chakraborty, her brother Showik, her father, an army veteran, and her mother.

"It is not in dispute that all the petitioners have roots in the society. The right to travel is a fundamental right and cannot be curtailed except according to due procedure established by law," it said.

Rhea, along with 19 others, were arrested by the NCB in connection with the drugs angle which surfaced during the investigations of the actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death case.

Sushant's father had levelled various allegations against Rhea Chakraborty, including taking money from his son and also threatening him to disclose his medical reports to the media.

Sushant's family has also accused Rhea of keeping him away from his family.

It may be recalled that the Supreme Court had ordered a CBI probe into the death by suicide of actor Sushant Singh Rajput.

Sushant Singh Rajput, who was an emerging star in Hindi cinema, was found dead at his apartment in Bandra in Mumbai in June 2020. He was 34.

Sushant has worked in over 10 films. He is fondly remembered for playing the role of Indian cricket legend and 2011 World Cup-winning captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni in the film "M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story", which released in 2016.

--IANS

Read More National News

PM Modi, Amit Shah, JP Nadda, Rajnath Singh Among BJP’s Star Campaigners For Jharkhand Elections

by Pabitra Mohan Senapaty

Ranchi, Oct 25: The BJP has unveiled a list of 40-star campaigners for the Jharkhand Assembly elections which includes top leaders of the party such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP National President JP Nadda, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, and Union Road and Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari.

The party’s National General Secretary and Headquarters In-charge, Arun Singh, has informed the Election Commission of India about the star campaigners list.

The state’s 81 assembly seats will be contested in two phases, with voting for 43 seats set to take place on November 13 for the first phase, giving parties and candidates just 18 days to campaign for this phase.

Among the leaders announced as star campaigners, Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma have already started campaigning on the ground, holding 10-12 meetings every day in the last three days.

Other key BJP Chief Ministers set to campaign include Uttar Pradesh’s Yogi Adityanath, Madhya Pradesh’s Mohan Yadav, Odisha’s Mohan Charan Majhi, Haryana’s Nayab Singh Saini, and Chhattisgarh’s Vishnu Deo Sai.

Union Ministers Dharmendra Pradhan and Annapurna Devi, along with Ministers of State Nityanand Rai and Sanjay Seth, will also play prominent roles in the campaign.

Other senior leaders, including Smriti Irani, UP Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya, Bihar Deputy CM Samrat Chaudhary, and Rajya Sabha members Laxmikant Bajpayi, Nagendra Nath Tripathi, Karmveer Singh, and Suvendu Adhikari, have featured in the list of star campaigners.

From the BJP’s Jharkhand state unit, notable figures such as State President Babulal Marandi, Opposition Leader Amar Kumar Bauri, former Union Minister Arjun Munda, former Chief Minister Champai Soren, former MP Karia Munda, Rajya Sabha MP Deepak Prakash, and MPs Vidyut Varan Mahto, Nishikant Dubey, and Dhullu Mahto will join the campaign.

Other prominent members include Aditya Sahu, Pradeep Verma, Balmukund Sahay, former MLA Sita Soren, former Minister Ramchandra Chandravanshi, Manoj Singh, and Ghuran Ram.

The nomination process for the first phase concluded on Friday, October 25, with 868 candidates filing their papers, as per the Election Commission’s website.

--IANS

Record 26 Indian-Origin MPs Set To Enter UK Parliament

Download Mobile App