The overwhelming win of a Labour Party candidate in the UK general elections prompted jubilant celebrations in Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur and Gorakhpur, even though they were thousands of kilometres away.
Navendu Mishra, who was re-elected to the House of Commons from the Stockport constituency for a second term, was born in Kanpur in 1989. His maternal grandfather's residence is located in Gorakhpur.
According to Mishra's maternal uncle Nilendar Pandey, who is a social worker and businessman now residing in Lucknow, some individuals in Gorakhpur, Lucknow, and Kanpur expressed their joy at his victory by distributing sweets and lighting fireworks.
Pandey mentioned that Mishra moved to the UK with his parents at the age of four. His father, a marketing manager for Indian Petrochemicals Corporation Limited, relocated to the UK after assuming a position with a British company.
Mishra was raised in the UK with his brother and sister.
After finishing his studies in London, he ventured into politics and won a seat in the House of Commons during the 2019 elections, representing Stockport as a member of the Labour Party.
According to Pandey, Mishra's entry into politics stemmed from his involvement in the trade union movement.
Pandey mentioned that Mishra shares a strong bond with him and recounted that his nephew reached out to seek his blessings after emerging victorious in the election.
Pandey said, "He (Mishra) likes coming to India. He is always keen on doing something for his country." "He visits India once every year or two and makes it a point to visit relatives from Gorakhpur to Delhi. He is a vegetarian and loves home-cooked food common in eastern Uttar Pradesh," he said.
Praising his nephew, Pandey said, "You can guess his popularity by his victory margin. In the UK, where elections are won by margins of only 1,000-2,000 votes, Mishra won by about 16,000 votes." Mishra secured 21,787 of the votes cast. His closest contender, Reform UK candidate Lynn Schofield, got 6,517 votes.
Pandey said Mishra returned to India for the first time after about seven years in the UK and spent time at the home of his maternal grandparents in Gorakhpur.
"Mishra used to fly kites and play cricket in the streets with the children of locals, including my two sons and daughter. My children are also ecstatic over his victory," he added.
On a recent trip to India, Mishra headed a group to visit Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel. The group also had a meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in Delhi.
After this, he enjoyed time with his family in Delhi and Lucknow, Pandey stated.
Experts in politics suggested that Mishra's win and his relationship with India would enhance bilateral relations and strengthen cultural, political, and social connections between the two countries.
Pandey said Mishra had also planned to visit the Ram temple in Ayodhya but that programme did not materialise.
Ishwar Singh, an associate of Pandey in Gorakhpur, told PTI, "Mishra was inspired to join politics and social service by his maternal uncle Nilendar Pandey." "When he visited Gorakhpur at a young age, he used to see the crowds gathering to meet Pandey and got inspired," he added.
The home of Mishra's father in Arya Nagar, Kanpur, was filled with locals who had gathered to congratulate the family on his consecutive election wins. It has been approximately two years since Mishra's last visit to his family home in Arya Nagar.
On Friday, Keir Starmer became the UK's new prime minister after his Labour Party secured a landslide victory in a general election in which weary voters inflicted a "sobering verdict" on Rishi Sunak-led Conservatives.
The Labour Party secured 412 seats in the 650-member House of Commons. Sunak's Conservatives won just 121 seats.
Discussing plans to invite his nephew to India, Pandey said, "We have invited Mishra to come here soon and a welcome ceremony will be organised in Lucknow after his arrival."
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