Ealing Southall
2010 Results:
Conservative: 12733 (29.78%)
Labour: 22024 (51.51%)
Liberal Democrat: 6383 (14.93%)
Green: 705 (1.65%)
English Democrat: 408 (0.95%)
Christian: 503 (1.18%)
Majority: 9291 (21.73%)
Notional 2005 Results:
Labour: 19758 (55.4%)
Liberal Democrat: 7380 (20.7%)
Conservative: 6792 (19%)
Other: 1758 (4.9%)
Majority: 12379 (34.7%)
Actual 2005 result
Conservative: 10147 (21.6%)
Labour: 22937 (48.8%)
Liberal Democrat: 11497 (24.4%)
Green: 2175 (4.6%)
Other: 289 (0.6%)
Majority: 11440 (24.3%)
2001 Result
Conservative: 8556 (18.3%)
Labour: 22239 (47.5%)
Liberal Democrat: 4680 (10%)
Green: 2119 (4.5%)
Other: 9234 (19.7%)
Majority: 13683 (29.2%)
1997 Result
Conservative: 11368 (20.8%)
Labour: 32791 (60%)
Liberal Democrat: 5687 (10.4%)
Referendum: 854 (1.6%)
Other: 3942 (7.2%)
Majority: 21423 (39.2%)
Boundary changes: loses part of Greenford Broadway ward to Ealing North and parts of Ealing Broadway and Ealing Common to Ealing Central and Acton.
Profile: A West London seat in the Borough of Ealing, covering Southall itself, Norwood Green, Dormer`s Wells and part of Hanwell. To the south of the constituency is the Grand Union Canal and Ealing Hospital.
Southall is a residential area dominated by the asian community. Over half the population is from an ethnic minority, overwhelmingly from an asian background, mostly Punjabi. There are significant Hindu and Muslim populations, but the Sikh community is most dominant. Ealing Southall has one of the highest proportions of Sikhs in any constituency in the UK and contains the Sri Guru Singh Sabha Gurdwara, one of the largest Sikh temple`s outside of India. In 2008 the third Sikh faith school in the UK is expected to open in South Norwood in the constituency.
At a Parliamentary level Ealing Southall has been solidly Labour – traditionally the Conservatives were in a distant second place, but in 2005 the Liberal Democrats narrowly overtook them. In 2001 it was one of the few seats where a fringe party candidate outpolled one of the main parties, when Dr Avtar Lit, the Chairman of the asian Sunrise Radio group, achieved third place. Dr Lit`s son, Tony Lit, was the Conservative candidate in the 2007 by-election. Following the death of Piara Khabra, at the time the oldest MP in the Commons, in 2007 Labour successfully held the seat in a by-election.
At a local level the area is divided between Labour and the Conservatives – wards in the west of the seat are solidly Labour and mostly represented by councillors from the Sikh community. The Conservatives are stronger in the leafier Northfield area to the east. Despite the large asian community, Respect only put forward a serious challenge in the Southall Green ward.
Current MP: Virendra Sharma (Labour) born India. Educated at the LSE. Day services manager for people with learning disabilities. Ealing councillor for over 25 years. (more information at They work for you)
Gurcharan Singh (Conservative) born 1948, Punjab. Former British rail guard, tax officer and hotelier. Labour party councillor in Ealing since 1982, he defected to the Conservative party during the Ealing Southall by-election.Virendra Sharma (Labour) born India. Educated at the LSE. Day services manager for people with learning disabilities. Ealing councillor for over 25 years. (more information at They work for you)
Nigel Bakhai (Liberal Democrat) born 1971, Shoreham. Educated at Brighton College and the University of Bradford. Equipment Demand Planner for Xerox. Contested Ealing Southall 2005, 2007 by-election.
Suneil Basu (Green) Teacher.
Sati Chaggar (English Democrat) Born Nairobi, 1961. Owns a car repair business. Contested Ealing Southall by-election 2007, Ealing and Southall 2008. Contested London region in 2009 European elections.
Mehboob Anil (Christian Party) 2001 Census Demographics
Total 2001 Population: 89275
Male: 49.7%
Female: 50.3%
Under 18: 24.8%
Over 60: 14%
Born outside UK: 43.4%
White: 37.6%
Black: 8.9%
Asian: 47.8%
Mixed: 2.8%
Other: 2.9%
Christian: 35%
Hindu: 12.4%
Muslim: 13.3%
Sikh: 23.2%
Full time students: 7.5%
Graduates 16-74: 28.4%
No Qualifications 16-74: 26%
Owner-Occupied: 66.5%
Social Housing: 18.3% (Council: 10.3%, Housing Ass.: 8%)
Privately Rented: 12.5%
Homes without central heating and/or private bathroom: 7.5%
2007 By-election
The Ealing Southall by-election was held on the 19th July following the death of Piara Khabra and during Gordon Brown`s honeymoon as Labour leader. The Labour party successfully held the seat with only a 7.5% drop in their vote, with the Liberal Democrats in second place. The Conservatives were for a time expected to do well after selecting Tony Lit, the MD of an Asian radio station whose father had previously performed well as an independent candidate in the seat. Labour faced internal division over their candidate selection and following Virendra Sharma`s selection several Sikh Labour councillors, led by Gurcharan Singh, defected to the Conservative party giving the Tories apparently strong momentum in the early stages of the campaign. The Conservatives focused their resources on the seat, with David Cameron visiting the constituency five times. The Tory campaign faltered though when it was revealed that Lit, who had only recently joined the Conservative party, had attended a Labour party fund-raiser shortly before being selected.
By-election result
Virendra Sharma (Labour): 15188 (41.3%)
Nigel Bakhai (Liberal Democrat): 10118 (27.7%)
Tony Lit (Conservative): 8230 (22.5%)
Sarah Edwards (Green): 1135 (3.1%)
Salvinder Dhillon (Respect): 588 (1.6%)
KT Rajan (UKIP): 285 (0.8%)
Yaqub Masih (Christian): 280 (0.8%)
Jasdev Rai (Independent): 275 (0.8%)
John Cartwright (Loony): 188 (0.5%)
Sati Chaggar (English Democrat): 152 (0.4%)
Gulbash Singh (Independent): 92 (0.3%)
Kuldeep Grewel (Independent): 87 (0.2%)
Majority: 5070 (13.8%)
By-election Candidates: Nigel Bakhai (Liberal Democrat) born 1971, Shoreham. Educated at Brighton College and the University of Bradford. Equipment Demand Planner for Xerox. Contested Ealing Southall 2005.
John Cartwright (Official Monster Raving Loony) born 1968. Educated at Trinity School and Royal Holloway College. Perennial candidate in Croydon local elections and by-elections. Contested Bromley & Chislehurst by-election 2006, Croydon Central 2005, 2001. OMRLP shadow minister for chocolate. Sati Chaggar (English Democrat) born Nairobi, 1961. Owns a car repair business.
Salvinder Dhillon (Respect) Contested Ealing and Hillingdon in 2004 London Assembly election. Contested Ealing Southall as an Independent in 2001.
Sarah Edwards (Green) Works for Victim Support. Contested Ealing and Hillingdon in 2004 London Assembly election. Contested Ealing Southall 2005.
Kuldeep Grewal (Independent) a disillusioned Labour member who stood against the offical candidate because of an “internal grievance”, on the 9th July Grewal urged his supporters to back the Labour candidate.
Tony Lit (Conservative) Former Moss Bros manager and, since 2003 Managing Director of Sunrise Radio, the Asian radio station founded by his father Avtar Lit. Ambassador for the 2012 London Olympic bid.
Yaqub Masih (Christian Party) General Secretary of UK Asian Christian Fellowship, presenter on Sunrise radio. 
Jasdev Rai (Independent) Director of the Sikh Human Rights Group
Kunnathur Rajan (UKIP) born India. Retired consultant physician. Member of Cardiff Community Health Council. Contested Rhonnda in 2003 Welsh Assembly elections. South Wales Central Region in 2007 Welsh Assembly Elections. Contested Bridgend 2005.
Virendra Sharma (Labour) born India. Educated at the LSE. Day services manager for people with learning disabilities. Ealing councillor for over 25 years.
Gulbash Singh (Independent) local GP and former Conservative borough candidate, Singh endorsed the Conservative candidate on the 9th July.
Itn would look funny on the map as a Tory seat surrounded by Labour seats, when in the 80s it was an island of red surrounded by blue.
Don’t think this will happen though.
I agree with JOe in as much as it will be a Labour hold but as I indicated totally disagree that Respect will come second or close to it. In saying that perhaps I should offer up my own prediction but it really is a bit of a stab in the dark and I might as well put approximate figures so:
Lab 12,000 36%
Con 9,000 27%
LD 6,500 19%
Oth 6,000 18%
I’d expect the order of the others to be: Ind (Dr Rai), Green, Respect, UKIP, OMRLP. The fate of the other independents will depend on whether they do indeed advise their supporters to vote for Dr Rai
Interesting that there is no BNP candidate.
I would have expected one to have tried to corner the white vote with the main parties all picking Asian candiates.
Not that I’m upset about there being no BNP of course.
The white vote in West London is quite happy to live in the same neighbourhood as Black and Asian people. If there is a model of ethnic integration in Britain, you’d find it here. The BNP won’t stand here, as they didn’t stand in Brent East, because it would be an embarrassing failure and would actively harm their aim of driving wedges between people.
[ Edited - sorry Anil. I have no way of knowing if it's true or not, but it is obviously potential highly libellous ]
BREAKING NEWS – GURCHARAN SINGH HAS DEFECTED TO THE CONSERATIVES!!!
Mr Singh – where did you hear that news? Is that the Independent candidate?
It was posted on the Sikh Sangat forum.
Gurcharan Singh is not one of the independents, he is a prominent Labour councillor in Ealing, one who some expected to be a potential candidate for them.
No idea if it is true yet – he is still up on Ealing council’s website as a Labour councillor, but obviously if he decides to defect on a Sunday afternoon Ealing council don’t necessaily have a website guy sat in the office just waiting to update the site.
i HEARD IT ON SUNRISE RADIO
Thanks David
I wonder if the better community relations here has anything to do with the Asain population here being Sikh and Hindu rather than Muslim as in East London, Blackburn, Bradford etc.
Sunrise Radio, as in Mr Lit’s (former?) employers? It may be true but it’s also possible that they’re mischief-making I suppose
On the subject of Sunrise I note that the Christian Party candidate is one of their broadcasters. I do hope for the sake of his continued employment that Tony Lit isn’t a vindictive man. (Sort of fits with the radio connection in Sedgefield too, where the UKIP candidate was a radio boss who gave the Tory candidate his first job!)
With Gurcharan Singh switching to the Conservatives, it may be possible that several thousand Labour voters will switch as the Labour Party selection process was a total mess.
Elsewhere someone wrote Gurcharan Singh holds around 3,000 Labour votes. A switch of 3,000 votes from Labour to Conservatives will mean a 6,000 vote difference.
Independents like Dr Rai must together be hoping to take several thousand votes. Also many Muslims will not vote Labour and this is a by election.
It is also rumoured that many loyal Labour voters may simply choose not to vote at all in protest at the selection process – the joke of a short list of two (or should I say one if you undertans the Ealing Southall situation!).
All of a sudden the 11,000 majority is not looking good and as someone said Labour has itself to blame. With hindsight perhaps an outsider, like Dr Harkirtan Singh, who is a youngish Sikh professional without any ‘Southall’ baggage / skeletons would have been a good bet after all.
Is this ‘defection’ by Cllr Gurcharan Singh confirmed?
I haven’t found anything about it on any news site nor on Gurcharan Singh’s newly-minted blog, nor on the Conservative site for Ealing Southall. Of course it could be too new.
I would have thought if it were true , there would be some mention on the Ealing Southall Conservative’s website .