Rishi Sunak Top Contender to Be UK PM

Rishi Sunak is now the closest anyone of the first non-white, British-Indian and Hindu to take charge as British Prime Minister, after his Conservative Party colleagues voted overwhelmingly in his favour with 137 votes in the final round on Wednesday.

He has not assured an easy ride as he faces a much tougher electorate of the Tory membership base. He had topped every ballot of Conservative MPs so far and also topped the final ballot on Wednesday. The ballot will close on September 2. Sir Graham Brady will announce the name of the new PM and Conservative Party Leader at 12.30 PM on September 5.

Rishi Sunaik in one of the interviews said, "This leadership contest is about more than just being the leader of our party, it's about becoming the custodian of our United Kingdom."

He also spoke about his parents - "My mum studied hard to get the qualifications to become a pharmacist. She met my dad, an NHS [National Health Service] GP, and they settled in Southampton. Their story didn't end there, but that is where my story began," he shared, with reference to his general practitioner father Yashvir and mother Usha.

He is the son-in-law of Infosys co-founders Narayana Murthy and Sudha Murty. During a live TV debate, he said: "There is commentary about my wife's family's wealth. So, let me just address that head on because I think it's worth doing, because I'm actually incredibly proud of what my parents-in-law built. My father-in-law came from absolutely nothing, just had a dream and a couple of hundred pounds that my mother-in-law's savings provided him, and with that he went on to build one of the world's largest, most respected, most successful companies that by the way employs thousands of people here in the United Kingdom. It's an incredibly Conservative story, actually it's a story that I'm really proud of and as Prime Minister I want to ensure that we can create more stories like theirs here at home."

Many British Indians are rallying for Rishi Sunak to be the UK PM.