11:35am Thursday 12th July 2007
By David Doyle
On Thursday residents will decide who takes over from veteran MP Piara Khabra at the helm of Ealing Southall. David Doyle takes a look at the candidates that have been put forward to fight it out
for the highly contested seat:
CONSERVATIVE - Tony Lit The son of Sunrise radio owner Avtar Lit stepped down from his job as the station's director to take part. The married father-of-three is involved with a regeneration
project for under-performing parts of West London as a director of not-for-profit Heathrow City Partnership Ltd - formerly Southall Regeneration Partnership.
GREEN - Sarah Edwards The only woman in the by-election is campaigning for the seat on the issues of climate change, public transport and against the war in Iraq. Locally the charity worker, who works with victims of crime, is campaigning against the proposed development of seven-storey blocks of flats at Hanwell Locks. Ms Edwards also set up a West London recycling co-op and has served as a union representative.
LABOUR - Virendra Sharma Mr Sharma is the only councillor in the by-election having served the borough for 25 years. The day-centre manager won the chance to stand after being picked as one of two men shortlisted for the position. The married father-of-two and grandfather-of-three is campaigning for safer streets more affordable housing and better public transport.
LIBERAL DEMOCRATS - Nigel Bakhai Hanwell resident Mr Bakhai took the Liberal Democrats into second place in Ealing Southall at the last General Election. The equipment demand planner' is campaigning on the NHS, crime and the war in Iraq. Locally he is chairman of Hanwell Steering Group, chair of Elthorne Safer Neighbourhood Focus Group and vice-chair of Greenfields Children's Centre in Southall.
OFFICIAL MONSTER RAVING LOONY PARTY - John Cartwright The OMRLP's shadow minister for chocolate wants to provide voters true progressive politics in contrast to the "decaying oligarchy of the Lib-Lab-Con-trick parties." He is campaigning against ID cards, the European Union and Western intervention conflicts abroad. The candidate, who describes himself as "supremely brilliant, charismatic and forward-thinking" has challenged previous parliamentary candidacies in Croydon and Bromley.
RESPECT - Salvinder Dhillon Teacher and local campaigner Mr Dhillon is campaigning against the war in Iraq and privatisation and in favour of better public services. The married father-of-three grew up in Southall and has locally campaigned to keep Southall Community Centre and the Dominion Centre open, opposing commercial development on the Southall Gasworks site in favour of community facilities and supporting sacked Gate Gourmet workers.
UK INDEPENDENCE PARTY - Dr Kunnathur Rajan Dr Rajan has worked in the NHS for 28 years and moved to the country in 1960. He wants an end to uncontrolled mass immigration which he says is bringing diseases into the country, tougher policing laws and a referendum on the EU treaty. Indian-born Dr Rajan also wants a better NHS for the country which he says has collapsed under the Labour government.
OTHER CANDIDATES: Nairobi-born businessman Sati Chaggar is the English Democrats candidate and wants justice and fairness for all people whatever their ethnicity.
Kuldeep Singh Grewal has stood as an independent but has urged people to back Virendra Sharma on July 19.
Yaqub Masih is representing the Christian Party and also works as General Secretary to UK Asian Christian Fellowship and is an advisor to the Bishop of Wakefield. He is the religious presenter on Sunrise Radio.
Dr Jasdev Singh Rai, director of the Sikh Human Rights Group based in Southall is standing as an independent. It has been reported he was voted to stand by a group of other prospective candidates.
Former Conservative hopeful for Southall Broadway in May 2006, Gulbash Singh, is also standing as an independent but David Cameron has said the candidate will be backing Tony Lit on July 19.
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