London: London may get its first Indian-origin mayor as finance and property broker Shyam Batra has announced his intention to contest the May 2024 elections as an independent.
Batra, 62, is the second British-Indian to enter the ring in the fast-growing field of contenders for this year’s election after investment banker Tarun Ghulati, who is seeking to unseat Mayor Sadiq Khan, who is seeking re-election. Are demanding. Labor candidate.
Batra, a resident of Uxbridge, west London, told the BBC that he does not see himself as a “party political candidate”, but rather as someone who “just wants to fix London and give people a voice.” Wants”.
Like Ghulati, his main priority if elected is the elimination of Ultra Low Emission Zones (ULEZ) as well as congestion zones and 20 mph speed limits. He told the BBC, “I drive an old car and now when I go to London I have to pay congestion and cart charges. It’s a joke. You shouldn’t be charged to drive in your own city.”
Some of his other priorities include tackling the cost of living crisis and improving housing issues by introducing “a finance scheme to get everyone on the property ladder”. Saying he was “excited” to make London a better place, Batra said: “I know what the general public thinks and wants because I am one of them. I myself am fed up and If I became mayor I wouldn’t take any nonsense.”
So far, 12 candidates, including Batra, have reportedly declared their intentions for the job, which Khan is expected to retain for a historic third term. The list includes Conservative Susan Hill, Liberal Democrat Rob Blaikie, Reform UK’s Howard Cox, the Green Party’s Zoe Garbett and the Social Democratic Party’s Amy Gallagher.
Since nominations for the election are open till March 27, more candidates are expected to be announced in the coming weeks. The election is scheduled to take place on 2 May, and will take place simultaneously with the London Assembly elections and local elections in England and Wales.
While mayoral elections are traditionally held every four years, the last time voting took place was in 2021 instead of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
