AN ASIAN entrepreneur is among the candidates contesting one of the UK's most unusual parliamentary by-elections on Thursday (13), when Reform UK leader Nigel Farage seeks re-election.
British Indian Ketankumar Pipaliya, founder of UK Voice, is among 34 candidates challenging Farage in Clacton, a seat he won at the July 2024 general election.
Major parties, including the governing Labour Party and the Conservatives, are not fielding candidates in the contest. The Liberal Democrats, Green Party and Restore Britain have also chosen not to stand.
The decision has left Farage facing a large field of candidates, including Count Binface and Nick the Incredible Flying Brick, who are standing for the Official Monster Raving Loony Party. The 34-candidate field has resulted in what is reported to be the longest ballot paper in British electoral history.
Pipaliya said he was standing because people in Clacton deserved an MP who would put the constituency first.
“As leader of UK Voice, I will always put the interests of residents first and work constructively with anyone who shares the goal of making Clacton constituency a safer, stronger and more prosperous place to live, work and raise a family,” he said.
Pipaliya describes his career as rooted in “humble beginnings” and has worked as a businessman and entrepreneur in the pharmaceutical sector.
'Britain deserves a serious alternative'
He has previously contested parliamentary and mayoral elections without success. As leader of UK Voice, he says Britain “deserves a serious alternative to the parties that have taken turns letting the country down”.
Taking aim at Farage and Reform UK, Pipaliya said: “Reform speaks to real frustration on immigration and national identity but remains tied to the politics of Brexit and protest.”
“UK Voice believes in controlled borders and a fair immigration system while also rebuilding serious cooperation with Europe. We are interested in practical outcomes, not permanent division,” he added.
The by-election was triggered after Farage resigned as Clacton's MP in July. His resignation came amid scrutiny over an undisclosed £5 million personal gift from cryptocurrency investor Christopher Harborne and other financial matters.
Farage has denied wrongdoing, while parliamentary scrutiny into the matter was paused following his resignation.
He said he had decided that “the people of Clacton should be the judges of my actions”, describing the contest as “a people versus the establishment by-election”.
Count Binface, the satirical persona of British writer Jonathan David Harvey, is among Farage's most prominent challengers. Harvey has contested elections since 2017 while wearing a bin-shaped helmet.
(PTI)
