Shivani Raja (born 21 July 1994)[1] is a British Conservative Party politician. She has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Leicester East since 2024. She gained the seat from Claudia Webbe.
Shivani Raja | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2024 | |
| Member of Parliament for Leicester East | |
| Assumed office 4 July 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Claudia Webbe |
| Majority | 4,426 (9.5%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 21 July 1994 Rushey Mead, Leicestershire, England |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Alma mater | De Montfort University |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Website | shivaniraja |
Early life and career
editShivani was born in Rushey Mead, Leicester, to parents who arrived in the UK from India and Kenya in the 1970s.[2] She studied at Herrick Primary School, Soar Valley College, and Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College. She graduated from De Montfort University with a First Class Honours degree in cosmetic science.[3] In 2017, she competed in the 2017 Miss India UK beauty pageant, where she was a semi-finalist.[4]
Parliamentary career
editIn May 2024, Raja was announced as the Conservative candidate standing in Leicester East constituency.[3] She was elected to the House of Commons in July 2024 during the 2024 general election, after receiving a plurality with 14,526 votes. Her victory was the only seat which the Conservatives gained in the 2024 election.[5] She took the Oath of Allegiance holding the Gita.[6]
She was appointed as a Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Shadow Equalities Office when Kemi Badenoch took over from Rishi Sunak as Leader of the Conservative Party.
References
edit- ^ Tomorrow's MPs [@tomorrowsmps] (6 July 2024). "Raja's agent tells me that her date of birth is 21 July 1994, so she is still 29. And Luke Myer, the new Labour MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland won't be 30 until next years. So that makes 17 under-30 MPs, and maybe there are still some I've missed" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 6 July 2024. Retrieved 6 July 2024 – via Twitter.
- ^ Everquill, Rhys; Richardson, Hannah (1 July 2024). "Leicester East: your guide to the 2024 general election". Great Central Gazette. Archived from the original on 6 July 2024. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
- ^ a b Richardson, Hannah (30 May 2024). "Conservatives pick city born and bred candidate to fight for Claudia Webbe's Leicester East seat". Leicestershire Live. Archived from the original on 5 July 2024. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ^ Miss India UK [@MissIndia_UK] (24 June 2017). "Check out Semi-Finalist Miss Shivani Raja's Interview with her sponsors @LimeAuction & #Dupion https://youtu.be/OocnWrS-faI #MIUK2017" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 5 July 2024. Retrieved 5 July 2024 – via Twitter.
- ^ Lewis, Lauren (5 July 2024). "Tories' only gain in entire election: Shivani Raja wins seat after Keith Vaz and Claudia Webbe split vote". LBC. Archived from the original on 5 July 2024. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
- ^ @ShivaniRaja_LE (July 10, 2024). "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. #LeicesterEast" (Tweet) – via Twitter.