Shivani Raja, a Gujarati businesswoman of Indian origin, took oath on the Bhagavad Gita in the UK Parliament. Shivani Raja, 29, won the Leicester East seat, marking a shocking victory in the traditional Labour Party stronghold. Her win is the first time in 37 years that the constituency has elected a Conservative.

Shivani Raja said that she was honoured to represent Leicester East and swore her allegiance on the Bhagavad Gita. “It was an honour to be sworn into Parliament today to represent Leicester East. I was truly proud to swear my allegiance to His Majesty King Charles on the Gita,” wrote the minister on X.

Raja’s win from the Leicester East ended the Labour Party‘s 37-year stronghold in the constituency. She won 14,526 votes, with Labour’s Rajesh Agrawal in second with 10,100 votes and Zuffar Haq third for the Liberal Democrats with 6,329, reported the BBC. Claudia Webbe and Keith Vaz were the other MPs who had contested this seat. Claudia Webbe had stood as an independent, while Keith Vaz represented the One Leicester party.

After the results of the UK elections 2024 on July 7, MP Shivani Raja said that it was time for a change. She said the task at hand wasn’t a simple one, but she was committed to transforming the city. “It indeed is time for a change…and that change is Leicester turns blue,” wrote the newly elected MP on X.

Shivani’s victory was notable given Leicester City‘s history of conflict between the Indian Hindu community and Muslims.

In 2022, there were severe clashes between the Hindu and Muslim communities in the UK, reported The Guardian. What started as a march with chants of ‘Jai Shri Ram’, in the weekend before the Queen’s funeral, had soon turned into a strife between the religious communities in Belgrave Road.


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