Rishi Sunak set to become the next British PM, brings Diwali cheers for Indians

Rishi Sunak becomes the first person of Indian origin to lead the UK as Prime Minister. This brings cheers to the supporters of his descent across the world as they celebrate Diwali.

At 42, Rishi becomes the youngest prime minister of the UK in more than 200 years. The former chancellor, who warned that Liz Truss’ economic plans for Britain were a “fairy tale,” won the contest to succeed her as prime minister on Monday, taking over the world’s sixth-biggest economy at a time of deep financial and political turbulence.

Sunak, who lost out to Liz Truss just six weeks ago, threw his hat in the ring on Sunday. Ever since Liz Truss resigned as the prime minister, the support for Rishi Sunak has crossed the threshold of 100, which made him eligible to run for the post, again.

Truss came to power in early September promising an all-out push for growth, but her programme proved unpalatable to financial markets as both the pound and gilts tanked amid concerns about how she'd pay for her economic plans.

The Indian-origin ex-minister’s chances brightened after his former boss Boris Johnson and Penny Mordaunt could not muster the support of 100 MPs needed to stand in the elections. 

As soon as the news broke, scores of Indians cheered on social media and wished ‘Happy Diwali’ to Sunak. Rishi, who often speaks of his heritage and how his family reminded him often about values and culture, is very popular among people of Asian origin and especially Indians.

Sunak’s rise to the top job in Britain marks a historic moment. The grandson of Indian immigrants, whose success will be determined by how well he manages the growing challenges to Britain’s economy as high inflation and a looming recession create a sense of growing despair earlier, often vowed to "fix the economy" of the country.

His rise to the top post is a defining moment for Indian origin as he joined the league of six other top world leaders of the same descent.