Tulip becomes British MP

Three British-Bangladeshis -- including Tulip Siddiq, granddaughter of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman -- have made it to the House of Commons in the UK general election with Labour Party tickets.

Apart from Tulip, Rushanara Ali and Rupa Huq have also been elected MPs defeating their Tory rivals.

This is the first time the centuries-old British parliament will have three lawmakers with roots in Bangladesh.

Though their party put up a dismal show in Thursday's election which saw a bloodbath of party heavyweights and resignation of Labour leader Ed Miliband, Tulip and Rushanara sailed through quite comfortably. Rupa, however, faced a very tight competition from the Conservatives' candidate.

David Cameron stays at the 10 Downing Street for a second term after the much-hyped elections that came up with many surprises, including a single majority victory for the Conservatives.

TULIP SIDDIQ

Eldest daughter of Sheikh Rehana and niece of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Tulip won Hampstead and Kilburn seat defeating Conservatives' Simon Marcus.

She polled 23,977 votes while Marcus bagged 22,839.

Talking to the Bangladeshi reporters in the early hours yesterday, Tulip recalled how indebted she was to her aunt Sheikh Hasina.

"She [Hasina] has taught me how to conduct the electoral campaigns and how to take care of people," she said, thanking her family members and the media for her victory.

One of the first calls she had made to inform of her win was to Hasina, she said.

Referring to the wins of Rushanara and Rupa, Tulip said: "If we [the three MPs] can work together, we can do something better for our community [in the UK]."

Living in West Hampstead with her husband Chris Percy, Tulip has been an active campaigner since she was 16, fighting to save local hospitals, fire stations and post offices.

She has previously been a local councillor and cabinet member for culture and communities in Camden Council. She also oversaw Camden's engagement with the 2012 London Olympics, which saw the launch of three legacy schemes to encourage more physical activities -- Camden Sports Academy, School and Community Games, and Pro-Active Ambassadors.

Prior to becoming Labour's candidate there, Tulip most recently worked for Brunswick Group LLP in corporate social responsibility, working with major British manufacturers and transport companies to strengthen their use of apprenticeship schemes and build on links with local communities and schools.

RUSHANARA ALI

Rushanara Ali has won her second spell in the British parliament from the Bethnal Green & Bow seat with a massive 24,317-vote lead over her Conservatives contender.

She was the first British-Bangladeshi to sit in the House of Commons after beating George Galloway in 2010 election in the same constituency with a majority of 11,574 votes.

On Thursday, Rushanara secured an even more comprehensive win to retain her seat.

She got 32,387 votes, defeating Conservative's Matt Smith, who managed to poll 8,070 votes.

In her victory speech, Rushanara said: "I'm a campaigning politician … The last five years in opposition has been incredibly difficult but one of the highlights has been working with local residents on issues that matter to them like the National Health Service."

Calling upon the volunteers, Labour activists, Labour councillors and assembly members, she said: "We will have to work together and stay united against what is going to be a very difficult period ahead."

Rushanara's parents moved to the UK from Bangladesh when she was only seven.

Following her schooling, she got herself a place at Oxford University and jobs in the UK parliament, the Institute for Public Policy and Research, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Home Office before becoming an MP.

In October 2013, she was made the shadow minister for education in the Labour reshuffle. Previously, Rushanara was appointed at the Labour frontbench as the shadow minister for international development.

RUPA HUQ

Another British citizen of Bangladeshi origin, Rupa won Ealing Central and Acton seat against sitting MP Angie Bray of the Conservatives.

Labour's Rupa won the seat with a meagre 274-vote margin. She bagged 22,002 votes while her rival Angie Bray got 21,728.

Born in London's Hammersmith area in 1972, Rupa studied Social and Political Sciences and Law at Cambridge University. Her parents came to the UK from Bangladesh in the 1960s.

She joined the Labour Party, working on a successful campaign to win Cambridge for Labour in 1992.

After Cambridge, she earned her doctorate at the University of East London. She researched youth culture, and how young people use pop music to express themselves.

Rupa has published three books in this field as well as writing articles for the Guardian. She did some of her research in northern France, and kept in touch with politics by working at the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

In 1998, she started teaching at Manchester University, and in 2004 became a senior lecturer of Sociology and Criminology at Kingston University.

GREETINGS FROM PRESIDENT, PM

President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday congratulated Tulip Siddiq, Rushanara Ali and Rupa Huq for their wins in the UK parliamentary polls.

The president and the premier in their messages said the victory of the three Bangladeshi-Britons has brightened the image of Bangladeshi expatriates in the UK.

PM's Special Assistant Mahbubul Hoque Shakil and president's Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim conveyed the messages.

Karim said President Hamid wished success for them in discharging their responsibilities as members of parliament.

The prime minister expressed her deep gratitude to those who worked hard for the victory of the three, particularly of Tulip, daughter of her younger sister Sheikh Rehana.