I must be the only one in Britain who is extremely pleased with the UK General Election 2010 results. The uneasy coalition between the Conservative party and Liberal Democrats may not work but I am mightly pleased about how quietly the glass ceiling in politics has been shattered by Asian Women, with no less than five Asian women being elected with stonking great majorities in their constituencies.
Priti Patel MP for Witham is the first Asian Woman MP for the Conservative Party. Rushanara Ali MP for Bethnal Green & Bow is the first Bangladeshi MP. She along with Yasmin Qureshi MP (Bolton South East) and Shabana Mahmood MP (Birmingham Ladywood) represent the first three Muslim Women MPs in Britain. And Keith Vaz’s sister Valerie Vaz MP (Walsall South) shows that ‘sisters’ really can ‘do it for themselves’ too by winning the seat of Walsall.
It has taken 118 years since the first Asian MP – Dadabhai Naoroji was elected in 1892 – and now, with so decisive a win, Asian women can look forward to brighter future in British Politics and perhaps even a cabinet seat in the near future.
An Asian Woman for PM? Hopefully it won’t take 118 years to achieve that!
Historic win for Asian Women in the UK General Election 2010.
First Three Muslim Women MPs elected in Britain.
Rushanara Ali becomes the first Bangladeshi MP elected in Britain.
Priti Patel becomes the first Conservative Asian Woman MP in Britain