Indo-Canadian Shuvaloy Majumdar wins crucial Canadian House of Commons seat
Indian-origin Conservative candidate Shuvaloy Majumdar, better known as Shuv, won a prestigious seat in the House of Commons that was once represented by former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
He won the by-election in the Calgary Heritage seat on Monday, maintaining his party's domination over it.
Our democracy is enriched by the participation of strong candidates.
— Shuv Majumdar (@shuvmajumdar) July 25, 2023
Thank you @elliot4heritage for bringing forward your vision for Calgary Heritage in this by-election.
It was an honour to share a ballot with you and I look forward to representing all of our great community. https://t.co/5KbnShKQiz
The seat was left vacant after MP Bob Benzen quit it last year.
Benzen, who was elected to represent the area in 2017, announced he would resign his seat in Calgary Heritage and return to private life at the end of last year, reports CBC.
Majumdar, a former policy adviser to Stephen Harper and ex-Conservative foreign minister John Baird, clinched the seat by winning 65 percent of the vote.
He defeated Liberal candidate Elliot Weinstein and NDP's Gurmit Bhachu.
"We sent Justin Trudeau a message tonight, didn't we?" Majumdar was quoted as saying by CBC after the victory.
"I wanted to go over to Liberal headquarters to invite them to participate in our celebration here tonight. The only problem was there were no direct flights from Calgary to Beijing," he said.
"I've seen the hurt. I've seen the pain. I have seen the tears well up in the eyes of our neighbours. I've seen their throats choke with the pressure of their day-to-day lives. I see you. You are heard and thank you for your trust in me," he said as he thanked people following his election.
Speaking about his Indian origin, Majumdar said: "What an amazing thing it is that this kid born of Indian origin...could go on to serve in the highest offices of this land and now stands before you as the next Conservative member of Parliament for Calgary Heritage."
Majumdar also thanked the people of the region for supporting him with a Facebook post that read: "Thank you to my family, campaign team, and the citizens of Calgary Heritage."
"The work to restore the promise of Canada starts now," he said.