Britain today got its first turban-wearing MP as the general election results began pouring in with Sikh Labour Party candidates winning more seats than their rival Conservatives.
Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, known as Tan, won his Slough seat decisively polling 34,170 votes, to become Labour’s first turban-wearing MP.
He defeated his Conservative party rival by a whopping 16,998 votes.
Dhesi said he was “humbled” and wanted to serve the town where he was born and raised.
“Credit to the Labour Party leadership for taking the bold step of giving Sikhs the opportunity to fight for winnable seats. Labour now needs to turn its attention to having visible Sikh representation in the House of Lords at the first opportunity so Sikhs are better represented and can bring fresh thinking and ideas,” Sikh Federation UK said in a statement.
A second turban-wearing Sikh of the Labour Party Kuldip Sahota lost out to his Conservative rival by just 720 votes.