Shivani Raja
British politician (born 1994)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Shivani Rajnikant 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.
21 July 1994
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 | Shivani Rajnikant Raja 21 July 1994 Leicester, Leicestershire, England |
| Party | Conservative |
| Education | Soar Valley College Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College |
| De Montfort University (BSc) | |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Website | shivaniraja |
Early life and career
Shivani 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][5]
Parliamentary career
In 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.[6] She took the Oath of Allegiance holding the Gita.[7]
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.
Electoral history
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Shivani Raja | 14,526 | 31.1 | –7.4 | |
| Labour | Rajesh Agrawal | 10,100 | 21.6 | –29.3 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Zuffar Haq | 6,329 | 13.5 | +7.9 | |
| Independent | Claudia Webbe | 5,532 | 11.8 | N/A | |
| One Leicester | Keith Vaz | 3,681 | 7.9 | N/A | |
| Reform | Raj Solanki | 2,611 | 5.6 | +3.1 | |
| Green | Mags Lewis | 2,143 | 4.6 | +2.8 | |
| Independent | Malihah Adam | 974 | 2.1 | N/A | |
| Independent | Nagarjun Agath | 703 | 1.5 | N/A | |
| Independent | Khandu Patel | 115 | 0.2 | N/A | |
| Majority | 4,426 | 9.5 | –2.7 | ||
| Turnout | 46,714 | 61.0 | –2.1 | ||
| Registered electors | 76,560 | ||||
| Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | +11.0 | |||
