The Liberal candidate and former Australian ambassador to Israel, Dave Sharma, has won a seat in Sydney suburb in the federal election to become the first Indian-origin lawmaker in the country’s Parliament.
Sharma, 43, defeated independent candidate Kerryn Phelps for the eastern suburb seat of Wentworthin district.
Sharma, who had lost to Phelps in a by-election six months ago, claimed the seat of Wentworth with 51.16 percent of the vote.
“Very humbled by the trust placed in me by the people of Wentworth. Look forward to being a voice for them in Parliament and the party room,” Sharma said in a tweet.
Very humbled by the trust placed in me by the people of Wentworth. Look forward to being a voice for them in the parliament and the party room. Thanks to @drkerrynphelps for her service and @Timpmurray for a fair campaign. Hope both enjoy some much-deserved time with family
— Dave Sharma (@DaveSharma) May 20, 2019
National security, female workforce participation, and making sure Australia remains at the high end of the value chain are the three main issues he wants to focus, Sharma said.
“It’s been a long continuous campaign for seven months for me,” he told reporters in Sydney. I was helped by the tailwind of a strong national campaign,” he told reporters on Monday.
Sharma, who was Australia’s ambassador to Israel from 2013 to 2017, also brushed aside questions as to whether he will be given a position in Prime Minister Morrison’s new Cabinet.
“I’ll be concentrating my time over the next weeks, months and years to being a good local representative,” he was quoted as saying by The Sydney Morning Herald.
“I’ll be helping to protect open spaces and parklands, fight for better local infrastructure and transport, helping preserve the wonderful quality of life we have here in Wentworth,” he said.
Describing Malcolm Turnbull as a “good friend”, Sharma paid tribute to the former prime minister. Turnbull was criticized by colleagues for not helping Sharma campaign in the by-election.
Born to a father of Indian heritage and an Australian mother, Dave’s family settled in Sydney in the 1970s.
Over 10 Indian-origin candidates contested this year’s federal elections in Australia where the Indian diaspora continues to thrive and has reached more than 700,000.
Other Liberal candidates who contested but lost were Sachin Joshi and Vivek Singha from New South Wales and Hemant Dave from South Australia.
In spite of the losses, the Indian diaspora has been actively participating in election campaigning for their respective parties and raising funds.
