Shivani Raja, a Gujarati businesswoman of Indian origin, was sworn in on the Bhagavad Gita in the British Parliament. Shivani Raja, 29, won the Leicester East seat in a shock victory in the traditional Labour Party stronghold. Her victory is the first time in 37 years that the constituency has elected a Conservative.
Shivani Raja said she was honoured to represent Leicester East and pledged her allegiance to the Bhagavad Gita. “It was an honour to be sworn in today in Parliament to represent Leicester East. I was truly proud to pledge my allegiance to His Majesty King Charles on the Gita,” the minister wrote on X.
It was an honour to be sworn in to Parliament today as the representative for Leicester East.
I was truly proud to swear my allegiance to His Majesty King Charles on the Gita.#LeicesterEast photo.twitter.com/l7hogSSE2C
— Shivani Raja MP (@ShivaniRaja_LE) July 10, 2024
Raja's victory in Leicester East ended the Labour Party's 37-year dominance in the constituency. She won 14,526 votes, with Labour's Rajesh Agrawal in second place with 10,100 votes and Zuffar Haq in third place for the Liberal Democrats with 6,329, the BBC. Claudia Webbe and Keith Vaz were the other MPs who contested the seat. Claudia Webbe stood as an independent, while Keith Vaz represented the One Leicester party.
Following the results of the 2024 UK general election on 7 July, MP Shivani Raja said it was time for change. She said the task ahead was not easy, but she was determined to transform the city. “It is indeed time for change… and that change is Leicester turning blue,” the newly elected MP wrote on X.
It is indeed time for a change… and that change is Leicester turning blue 💙 photo.twitter.com/XTYqbdFxXU
— Shivani Raja MP (@ShivaniRaja_LE) July 7, 2024
Shivani's victory was remarkable given Leicester City's history of conflict between India's Hindu community and Muslims.
In 2022, serious clashes between Hindu and Muslim communities took place in the UK, it was reported The guard. What started as a march with chants of 'Jai Shri Ram' on the weekend before the Queen's funeral quickly turned into a conflict between the religious communities in Belgrave Road.
