Pro-Gaza candidates secure key victories in UK Elections
In a surprising turn of events, several independent candidates campaigning on pro-Gaza platforms have won significant victories in the recent UK elections, taking over several former Labour strongholds.
One of the most notable upsets occurred in Leicester South, where Shockat Adam unseated shadow minister Jonathan Ashworth. Adam secured his win by 979 votes and dedicated his victory to Gaza, emphasizing the influence of pro-Gaza sentiment in his constituency, where around 30% of the electorate are Muslim.
In Ilford North, shadow health secretary Wes Streeting saw his majority drastically reduced from over 9,000 to just 528 votes, nearly losing to independent candidate Leanne Mohamad, who is the granddaughter of Palestinian refugees.
Labour's performance was notably poor in areas with large Muslim populations. In Birmingham Perry Barr, Khalid Mahmood was defeated by independent Ayoub Khan by 507 votes. Dewsbury, Batley, and Blackburn, all previously held by Labour with substantial majorities, were also taken by independent candidates focusing on the Gaza issue.
In Leicester East, the Conservatives benefited from votes drawn by independent candidates, including the area's former Labour MP Claudia Webbe, an outspoken pro-Palestinian campaigner. The Tories won her former seat by 4,426 votes, with Webbe's vote count exceeding the margin of victory.
In other areas with significant Muslim populations, senior Labour figures narrowly retained their seats. Coventry South's newly elected Labour MP Zarah Sultana criticized her party's stance on Gaza, calling it a "stain on its record" and acknowledging the need for improvement.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer faced heckles of "Free Palestine" at his own count, where his majority was reduced, and pro-Gaza independent Andrew Feinstein came in second with 7,312 votes.
In Birmingham Ladywood, shadow justice secretary Shabana Mahmood held off independent candidate Akhmed Yakoob, though her majority fell from over 32,000 to 3,421. Similarly, Jess Phillips saw her majority slashed from 13,141 to 693 votes in a campaign she described as "the worst election I have ever stood in," citing intimidation against her activists.
In Bethnal Green and Stepney, shadow small business minister Rushnara Ali narrowly defeated independent Ajmal Masroor by 1,689 votes.
Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn retained his Islington North seat as an independent, beating the Labour candidate by more than 7,000 votes. Corbyn was suspended from the party over his response to a report on antisemitism within Labour.
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2nd WT20I: Shafali, spin trio do star turns in India''s seven-wicket win
Visakhapatnam (PTI): Shafali Verma hit a blistering unbeaten 69 as India made short work of a paltry target to outclass Sri Lanka by seven wickets in the second Women’s T20 International here on Tuesday.
India now lead the five-match series 2-0 after another one-sided victory, having restricted Sri Lanka to a modest 128 for 9 through a collective display of disciplined bowling from the spin trio of seasoned Sneh Rana, ably complemented by young spinners Vaishnavi Sharma and Shree Charani.
During the chase, vice-captain Smriti Mandhana (14) fell cheaply but Shafali, enjoying new found confidence after a stellar show in the World Cup final, sent the bowlers on a leather-hunt during her 34-ball knock, winning it for her team in just 11.5 overs.
The hosts have now completed back-to-back successful chases within 15 overs which speaks volumes about the unit's sky-high confidence.
Shafali's innings had 11 punchy boundaries apart from a maximum.
The floodgates opened when left-arm spinner Inoka Ranaweera bowled a few flighted deliveries and Shafali would step out everytime to hit her over extra cover. Her footwork against slow bowlers was immaculate whether stepping out to loft the ball or rocking back to punch or pull.
Seeing her confidence, the newly appointed Delhi Capitals skipper Jemimah Rodrigues (26 off 15 balls) also attacked as the duo added 58 runs in just 4.3 overs.
By the time Rodrigues was out trying to hit one six too many, the match as a contest was over. Shafali completed her half-century off just 27 balls and completed the formalities in a jiffy.
Earlier, off-spinner Rana, who got a look-in after Deepti Sharma was ruled out due to fever, showed her utility keeping the Lankan batters under tight leash with figures of 1 for 11 in 4 overs, including a maiden which certainly is a rarity in T20 cricket.
Charani, who made an impression during India's ODI World Cup triumph, took 2 for 23 in her quota of overs, while Vaishnavi after an impressive debut in the opening encounter, finished with 2 for 32, not letting the Islanders get easy runs in her second spell.
The last six wickets fell for just 24 runs, but what stood out during India’s bowling effort was their superb ground fielding. After a patchy show in the previous game, the improved sharpness in the field resulted in three run-outs.
Sri Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu (31 off 24 balls) looked in good nick as she deposited length deliveries from seamers Kranti Gaud and Arundhati Reddy over the ropes but it was Rana, who kept her quiet by repeatedly pitching on good length.
Unable to manoeuvre the strike and with the big hits suddenly drying up, Athapaththu chanced her arm at another delivery in which Rana had shortened the length slightly.
Not having transferred the weight into the lofted shot, Athapaththu's hoick was pouched cleanly by Amanjot Kaur at long-off.
This was after Athapaththu's opening partner Vishmi Gunaratne (1) had offered a simple return catch to Gaud.
Hasini Perera (22 off 28 balls) and Harshitha Samarawickrama (33 off 32 balls) did stitch a stand of 44 but they could never set the tempo against the Indian spin troika.
Once Hasini offered a tame return catch off a Charani full-toss, Sri Lankans never recovered and lost wickets in a heap towards the end.
