Shivani Rajnikant Raja (born 21 July 1994)
Early life and career
Shivani was born in
Rushey Mead,
Leicester, to parents who arrived in the UK from
India and
Kenya in the 1970s.
She studied at Herrick Primary School, Soar Valley College, and Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College. She graduated from De Montfort University with a First Class Honours degree in
cosmetic science.
In 2017, she competed in the 2017 Miss India UK beauty pageant, where she was a semi-finalist.
Parliamentary career
In May 2024, Raja was announced as the Conservative candidate standing in Leicester East constituency.
She was elected to the House of Commons in July 2024 during the 2024 general election, after receiving a plurality with 14,526 votes. Her victory was the only seat which the Conservatives gained in the 2024 election.
She took the Oath of Allegiance holding the
Bhagavad Gita.
She was appointed as a Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Shadow Equalities Office when Kemi Badenoch took over from Rishi Sunak as Leader of the Conservative Party.
Electoral history
External links
