UK polls: Four women of Bangladeshi origin elected again

Four women of Bangladesh origin have been elected in the UK polls held yesterday, Thursday. All four of them have already been elected several times to the British parliament's House of Commons. They are Rushanara Ali, Tulip Siddiq, Rupa Huq and Apsana Begum.

This time 34 persons of Bangladeshi origin contested in the election, including eight from Labour Party and two from the Conservative Party. No new candidates among them managed to win.

Rushanara is the first MP of Bangladeshi origin in the UK parliament, first winning in the 2010 election from Tower Hamlets' Bethnal Green and Stepney constituency. She had won four consecutive times from Tower Hamlets' Bethnal Green and Stepney constituency from 2010. This time she won from the same seat with 15,896 votes. This  is her fifth consecutive win.

Her votes somewhat dropped compared to previous times, but she managed to hold on to this Labour seat. Her close contender was also of Bangladeshi origin, Ajmal Masrur. He secured 14,207 votes.

Since 2010 she had been the shadow minister for international development. From October 2013 she was appointed shadow state minister for education.

Rushanara Ali has been elected in the UK elections as member of parliament from Labour for the fifth consecutive time. She won from the Bethnal Green and Stepney constituency of Tower Hamlets. Labour Party has won this election comprehensively.

Born in Sylhet Rushanara came to the UK with her family when she was seven. She earned her Bachelor's degree in philosophy, politics and economy from St John's College in Oxford.

Rupa Huq has been elected for the fourth consecutive time with Labour Party nomination from the Ealing Central and Acton seat. She secured 22,340 votes this time. Her closest contender, Conservative Party candidate James Windsor Clive, won 8,345 votes.

Rupa Huq was first elected parliament member in 2015, nominated by Labour Party. She has gone on to win three more times from West London's Ealing Central and Acton.

She has been the Labour Party's shadow home minister in 2016. She was appointed vice chair, all-party music group vice chair and all-party parliamentary on Crossrail.

Rupa Huq's original paternal home is in Muksedpur of Pabna district, Bangladesh. Her father Mohammad Huq and mother Rushnara Huq settled in the UK in 1962. Before entering politics, Rupa Huq had been a teacher and a writer. From 1998 to 2004 she taught at the University of Manchester and from 2004 has been teaching at the University of Kingston.

Rupa Huq would regularly write in Tribune, The Guardian and other media outlets. She has a doctorate degree in Youth Culture from the East London University.

Granddaughter of Bangabandhu, Tulip Siddiq has been elected for the fourth consecutive time from southeast London's  Hampstead and Highgate as a Labour Party candidate with 23,432 votes. Her closest contender, Conservative's Don Williams, won 8,462 votes.

Tulip Siddiq first became member of the British parliament in 2015. This seat, one time a stronghold of the Tories, has now become a secure seat for Labour due to Tulip Siddiq.

Tulip Siddiq is the daughter of Banglabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's younger daughter Sheikh Rehana. In 2016 she was the shadow education minister. She has also carried out other important responsibilities such as the vice chair of the all-party parliamentary group, member of the women and equality election committee and more.

Daughter of Shafiq Ahmed Siddiq and Sheikh Rehana, Tulip Siddiq studied at Scholastica School in Dhaka, then the Royal School at Hampstead and Mill Hill School. She earned her Bachelor's degree in English Literature from the University College London and her Master's Degree from Kings College. In 2011, she got a second Masters in politics and policy.

Joining Labour Party politics from the age of 16, Tulip was elected councillor of Camden Council in 2010. Thus began her career as a people's representative.

Apsana Begum has been elected for the second time from Poplar and the Limehouse constituency with 18,535 votes. Her closest contestant was Green Party's Nathalie Beinefait, securing 5,975 votes.

This seat sparked off much discussions among the Bangladeshi community due to Apsana's former husband. However, her former husband independent candidate Ehteshamul Huq could not come even close to her, securing fourth place with only 4,554 votes.

Apsana had been nominated by the Labour Party and won the election in 2019.

She is the first member of parliament to wear hijab in the Westminster parliament. She has been vocal in parliament against the Israeli aggression in Gaza and created a stir by voting for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Apsana was born and brought up in Tower Hamlets. Her father is former councillor of Tower Hamlets Munir Uddin Ahmed. Their origins are in Jagannatpur upazila of Sunamganj in Bangladesh. She earned her Bachelor's degree in politics from Queen Mary University in 2011 and earned a post graduate diploma in law and community leadership in 2012 from SOAS.