Preet Kaur Gill becomes first female Sikh MP in UK

She defeated ruling Conservative party's Caroline Squire and won the Edgbaston seat as a Labour Party candidate.

Councillor from Sandwell, Preet Kaur Gill, on Friday, became first female Sikh MP to be elected to the UK House of Commons.

She defeated ruling Conservative party's Caroline Squire and won the Edgbaston seat as a Labour Party candidate in the June 8 mid-term elections.

Gill, who was born and raised in Edgbaston, is expected to focus on issues related to the Sikh community, the fourth largest faith group in the United Kingdom, said reports.

"I am delighted to have been chosen as the Labour candidate for Edgbaston and it would be a huge honour to become the next Member of Parliament for the place where I was born and raised," Gill was quoted by the UK media as saying when she was chosen to represent Edgbaston.

She also reportedly said after winning the elections that she would serve the people of Edgbaston with 'hard work, passion and determination'.

Gill has also served as the member of the Sikh Network in UK.

A total of 56 Indian-origin candidates contested the polls in United Kingdom this time around.

In the 2015 polls, a record number of 10 Indian-origin candidates were elected to the British Parliament including Priti Patel, Alok Sharma, Keith Vaz, Virendra Sharma and Shailesh Vara.

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