How Hindu voters in UK hold a key role in the upcoming elections?

With UK general election scheduled for this Thursday, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Labour Leader Keir Starmer have made efforts to woo British Hindu voters by visiting temples and making promises.

With approximately 1 million Hindus in the UK, their voting bloc holds significant sway in the July 4 election.

While Sunak (44), visited the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Neasden Sunday, his key rival Keir Starmer (61), chose the Swaminarayan Temple in Kingsbury on Friday to vow commitment to making the community proud and sharing their vision for a for a strategic partnership with India.

Their efforts coincided with the launch of a the first-ever ‘Hindu Manifesto’ by a coalition of British Hindu organisations ahead of the election. This manifesto urges elected officials to safeguard Hindu places of worship and combat anti-Hindu sentiments.

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Sunak at Neasden Temple spoke: “This mandir stands as a great statement of the contributions that this community makes to Britain”.

“Education, hard work, family, those are my values. Those are your values. Those are Conservative values,” he declared in his election pitch.

Meanwhile, Starmer echoed similar sentiments at the Kingsbury Temple, pledging to govern with the spirit of service (‘sewa’) if elected, and condemning Hinduphobia in the UK.

“If we’re elected next week, we will strive to govern in the spirit of sewa to serve you and a world in need,” said the Labour Leader, reiterating a previous message that there is “absolutely no place for Hinduphobia in Britain”.

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The ‘Hindu Manifesto’ aims to foster recognition and protection of Hindu contributions to the UK’s social, cultural, and economic fabric.

Hindu Influence in UK

Hinduism’s prominence in UK, now the third-largest religion with over 1.02 million followers, is largely represented by leading organisations such as BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha UK, Chinmaya Mission, and Iskcon UK.

In England and Wales, British Hindus constitute 1.6% of the population, totaling 1,066,894 individuals—a demographic that holds considerable electoral power. The community’s numbers have surged from 552,421 in 2001 to 835,394 in 2011, reflecting both internal growth and external migration patterns. In Scotland, the Hindu population stands at 29,929, contributing to the religious diversity across the UK.

The concentration of Hindu communities is predominantly urban, with over 97% residing in areas such as London and the southeast. This demographic concentration not only highlights their significant cultural and social contributions but also enhances their collective voice in national discourse.

The political influence of British Hindus goes beyond demographic statistics. With a network of nearly 200 registered places of worship across the UK, Hindus play an active role in civic engagement and public advocacy.

As the election approaches, political parties are increasingly recognising the importance of addressing Hindu concerns and priorities, ranging from cultural preservation to socio-economic issues.

As such, the upcoming elections are poised to be a crucial juncture for British Hindus to assert their interests and aspirations within the broader political framework. Their growing presence and unity has introduced a new chapter in Hindus’ relationship with UK politics, marking an important moment in their quest for representation and recognition on national platforms.

Despite trailing in pre-election polls, Sunak’s Conservative Party hopes his leadership as Britain’s first Prime Minister of Indian heritage will resonate positively with British Indian voters.

“The ‘Hindu Manifesto’ is a call to action for all parliamentary candidates and political parties to engage with and support the Hindu community in their constituencies,” says the Hindus for Democracy group behind the initiative.

“It highlights the contributions of Hindus to the UK’s social, cultural and economic fabric and seeks to build a future where these contributions are recognised, valued, protected and promoted for a better future for all,” the group said.

“For the Conservative Party, obviously, they have Rishi Sunak – a British Indian leader – for the first time. It’s an unknown factor how much it will matter to British Indian voters that the leader of the party is from their background,” notes Sunder Katwala, Director of the British Future think tank.

With inputs from Agencies