First Bangladeshi MSP Foysol Choudhury in fight to continue as MSP
The Scottish Parliament could lose its only ethnic minority representative outside Glasgow if Lothian MSP Foysol Choudhury loses a crucial selection contest.
He and Edinburgh transport convener Stephen Jenkinson are in a head-to-head battle to become Labour's male candidate in the twinned seats of Edinburgh Northern and Edinburgh South Western for next year's Holyrood elections.
Party members from the two constituencies will choose a man and a woman from a shortlist of two male and two female contenders. Whoever gets the most votes can choose which seat they stand in. And the person of the opposite gender with the most votes will become the candidate in the other seat.
Mr Choudhury was elected as a regional list MSP in 2021, making history as the first Scottish Bangladeshi elected to Holyrood.
His family moved to the UK in 1972 and, living first in Manchester and settling in Edinburgh in 1981.
He became a prominent community activist as well as a successful businessman in the catering and hospitality sector.
He is chair of Edinburgh and Lothian Regional Equality Council and co-founded the Edinburgh Mela.
In parliament he serves as Scottish Labour’s shadow minister for Culture, Europe, and International Development. And he has raised many issues, from housing to violent crime to cuts in council funding.
He is a member of the Unite union and the Co-operative Party and says his politics are shaped by a strong belief in community, fairness, and standing up for people through collective action.
He said: “It was an honour of my life to represent the people of Lothian. Now I am seeking to be the Labour candidate for the twinned seats of Edinburgh Northern and Edinburgh South Western, to continue giving a voice to our communities in Holyrood.
“I’m honoured to be shortlisted to represent the parts of Edinburgh that have truly shaped my life. I moved here as a teenager, went to Drummond High, built my family and my business in this city, and began my journey as a community activist here. I know the challenges our people face, and I’m ready to keep fighting for them.”
Mr Choudhury and Cllr Jenkinson are the two male contenders. The two women in the contest are local activist Rebecca Bell and Catriona Munro, who stood in the recent Fountainbridge / Craiglockhart council by-election, coming top in first preferences but narrowly losing to the Lib Dems when votes were redistributed.