New Zealand's newly elected Parliament has now a Himachal man

New Delhi, Oct 19: A Himachal Pradesh-origin man has been elected as a member of parliament (MP) in New Zealand.

Dr Gaurav Sharma, 33-year-old Indian, who immigrated to New Zealand around 20 years ago, won the election from Hamilton West electorate as a candidate from PM Jacinda Ardern's Labour Party. He is a bachelor of medicine and surgery and works as a general practitioner.

He polled 16,950 votes and defeated National Party's Tim Macindoe by a margin of 4,425, according to the Electoral Commission of New Zealand.

Posting on his party's official web page, Sharma said "As a local doctor, I hear first-hand the concerns of our community every day. My work in healthcare and experience in management will help me be a strong voice for Hamilton in this post-pandemic recovery phase."

Sharma immigrated to New Zealand around 20 years ago and is a bachelor of medicine and surgery and works as a general practitioner in Nawton, Hamilton.

Congratulating him on the victory, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Sunday tweeted that people of the state were proud of him. "Gaurav, has earned a name for the state and the country and the people of Himachal Pradesh are feeling proud of this achievement, congratulations and infinite greetings from all the people of Himachal," Thakur said.

As per reports, Gaurav Sharma was in Class 9 when he moved to New Zealand with his father and mother. His father, who used to work as an executive engineer in the electricity board of Himachal Pradesh, had resigned from his government job as they decided to shift to New Zealand.