Indians key in very tight UK polls |
The Indian Diaspora in Britain will play kingmaker in the general elections due May 7. Three days before UK votes, parties are bending over backwards to win over the crucial 620,000 British Indian vote bank. Leaders David Cameron and Ed Miliband recently visited Indian places of worship while every party`s manifesto has tall promises for the Indian community. Almost 4 million voters - one in 10 of England and Wales`s electorate - are born abroad. Indians form the largest chunk, with 620,000 expected to vote. Independent peer Lord Karan Bilimoria says this is the most uncertain of elections in recent British history and 1.5 million Indians will play a major role. The Indian vote used to be overwhelmingly Labour, but it is nowhere near that now. It swung towards Conservatives, after PM Cameron made India priority. He visited India thrice, appointed the first Indian Diaspora champion and inaugurated Gandhi`s statue at Parliament Square. The Indian community`s prominence has grown steadily: Indian-owned brands are household names. In 1987, there were two Indian-origin members in parliament. Today there are over 25. Cameron has said there might be an Indian origin British PM in his lifetime. In 2010, 68% of black and minority ethnic voters supported Labour, while Conservatives and Liberal Democrats received 16% and 14% voteshare.
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