Not long ago I posted a news about a Sikh NRI standing for local elections in Punjab. The good news is that he won although he has no prospects of being a minister as his Congress Party does not form the government there. It will be interesting to know about his future. Rest assured we'll know more about Mr Jasbir Khangurfa in course of the next five years. The news in detail below: bhuban >From The Times February 28, 2007
Hounslow millionaire stuns his rivals with victory in Punjab poll Jeremy Page in Delhi Jasbir Khangura, a British Indian who gave up his UK citizenship last year to enter Indian politics, has won his seat in local elections in the northern state of Punjab. Mr Khangura, an Oxford-educated millionaire from Hounslow, West London, is the first British Indian to break back into the notoriously unprincipled world of Indian politics. The 42-year-old Sikh, who left India when he was 2, is also the first Congress Party candidate to win the seat in Qila Raipur, a rural constituency with a population of 275,000. His victory demonstrates the growing political clout of the 30 million-strong Indian diaspora — thousands of whom participated in the Punjab election for the first time. “I’m elated — in a few hours I’ll probably sound like Freddie Flintoff after winning the Ashes,” Mr Khanghura told The Times . “It’s been a steep learning curve coming 4,000 miles out here after 40 years in Britain. But I think I bring a fresh perspective. I’ll be pursuing the cause of ethical politics.” His is one of 117 seats in the local assembly of Punjab — one of 35 states and territories in India’s federal system. Congress, which controlled the Punjab assembly for the past five years, lost the overall election in a blow for the Government of Manmohan Singh, the Indian Prime Minister. It also lost control in elections in Uttarakhand and Manipur. Analysts said that the results bode ill for Congress in local elections next month in Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous and politically important state. “This is very discouraging,” said Pran Chopra, an expert on Indian politics. “The common theme across all three is the decline of the Congress Party.” Congress’s defeat in Punjab means that Mr Khangura will have limited power to secure funds for his constituents. The new assembly will be controlled by a coalition of the BJP and the Sikh nationalist Shiro-mani Akali Dal (SAD) party. He promised to compensate by working with nongovernmental organisations and attracting investment from the overseas Indian community. About 200 nonresident Indians (NRIs) from Britain, America and Canada campaigned on his behalf. Those with foreign citizenship were unable to vote, but they raised funds, organised rallies and canvassed votes. Their efforts paid off when results showed that Mr Khanghura had defeated the incumbent, Jagdish Garcha, of the SAD party, by 11,165 votes. Mr Khangura attributed his victory to his NRI supporters and to his father, who left Punjab in 1966 and set up the first Indian restaurant in Southall, West London. Mr Khangura said that the biggest shock for him on his return had been the scale of poverty in India. He encouraged other NRIs to play a more active role in politics, as well as business, in India to help to root out corruption and inefficiency in government. “I don’t want NRIs to swamp politics here, but my hope is that in five years’ time there might be two or three more,” he said.
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