UK elects first Dalit woman mayor to London council: Who is Mohinder K Midha?

In the UK, Mohinder K Midha has made history by becoming the first woman mayor of a local London council from the Dalit community. Here’s what you need to know about Midha: Who is she? Midha is an Indian-origin politician from the UK’s Opposition Labour Party. To what post was she elected? Midha was elected mayor of west London’s Ealing Council for next year’s term. As per the Who Can I vote for UK website, Midha received 2,272 votes. “We are so proud that Cllr Mohinder Midha has been elected Mayor of Ealing for the next year,” the Labour Party in Ealing said in a statement. Midha, who was re-elected as a Labour councillor for the Dormers Wells ward in the Ealing Council in the 5 May local elections in London, had been serving as the Deputy Mayor for the council previously. What did she campaign on? The Labour Party manifesto she campaigned on lists the following pledges:

• Tackling the cost of living
• Recovering from the pandemic
• Fighting violent crime and antisocial behaviour
• Fixing social care
• Re-growing, re-wilding and recycling.
• Delivering more genuinely affordable homes

Why this matters: The election is being celebrated by the British Dalit community as a proud moment. “The first ever Dalit woman mayor in the UK. A proud moment for us,” said Santosh Dass, chair of the Federation of Ambedkarite and Buddhist Organisation (FABO) UK, an umbrella group representing Dalit rights in the country. Dass tweeted:

Duly elected in the last 5 minutes Mrs Mohinder K. Midha as #Mayor of #Ealing for 22/23. The first ever #Dalit #woman mayor in the #UK. A proud moment for us. @meenakandasamy @Profdilipmandal @nitinmeshram_ @aparna_banerji @Mayawati @BhimArmyChief @Raj_Ambedkar @RajBangarBallan pic.twitter.com/t5jozxsfvc

— Santosh Dass (@SantoshDass1048) May 24, 2022

With inputs from PTI