British politician Rishi Sunak was Monday elected Conservative leader and will become the next prime minister after rival Penny Mordaunt failed to secure the necessary 100 nominations from her fellow MPs.
“Rishi Sunak is therefore elected as leader of the Conservative Party,” senior backbencher Graham Brady said, as Mordaunt vowed her “full support” for the former finance minister.
Britain’s former Chancellor of the Exchequer, Conservative MP, Rishi Sunak leaves from an office in central London on October 23, 2022.
Rishi Sunak will become the UK’s first British Asian prime minister, and the first Hindu to hold the office.
His confirmation to the top job came on the evening of one of the most important days in the Hindu calendar, the festival of Diwali – a national holiday here in India.
The timing wasn’t lost on some of the news channels which had broken into rolling coverage.
“This comes auspiciously on Diwali,” said one news anchor.
“Rishi Sunak has given the entire nation a Diwali gift,” proclaimed another.
Sunak’s parents came to the UK from east Africa; his grandparents were from Punjab. His father-in law Narayana Murthy, is the founder of Infosys and is one of India’s best-known businessmen.
This morning, as speculation mounted over his likely victory in the Conservative leadership race, he shared the front page of one newspaper with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and cricket superstar Virat Kolhi – two of the biggest names in this country.
Now, expect India’s fascination with Sunak to grow.
“This is a matter of great pride,” was how one journalist described events.
Some 75 years since India gained independence from British rule, Rishi Sunak’s rise to the top is being seen as a landmark moment for this nation.
