George Galloway eyes possible future by-elections in east London and Leicester

WORKERS party leader George Galloway is now planning to contest on more seats, including east London and Leicester, media reports said, claiming that he has said that his party will fight more possible future by-elections, after losing Batley and Spen seat last week.

Collecting more than one-fifth of the votes in the area, the former Labour and Respect MP was third behind Labour and the Conservatives, suggesting despite Labour's win, there has been a loss of a sizeable number of votes for the party.

Labour campaigners also reportedly feel that there is “unprecedented dissatisfaction among Muslim voters” across the country.  

“Muslims feel like they are not being taken seriously by the leadership on the Labour party. There seems to be an attitude that Muslims have always voted Labour, so they’re always going to” The Guardian quoted Mustafa Al-Dabbagh, a spokesperson for the Muslim Association of Britain.

A campaign poster for Workers Party of Britain candidate George Galloway adorns a house in the Batley and Spen constituency in Batley, England. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

With a couple of more seats opening up for by-elections, there is reportedly a rise in concern inside the Labour party over the possibility of Galloway gathering more vote share. 

While Leicester East may go into by-election as its MP, Claudia Webbe- the Labour-turned-independent, is facing a harassment charge, Poplar and Limehouse in east London seat may also open up as its MP, Apsana Begum, is facing fraud charges, which might trigger a byelection if she is found guilty. 

While Poplar and Limehouse has a Muslim population of 33.6 per cent, as per 2011 census, Leicester East said to have a large Hindu population, alongside those of Muslim and Sikh faiths where Labour party’s tactics like the controversial leaflet, featuring UK prime minister Boris Johnson and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, is expected to do more harm than any good.

Galloway had earlier won Muslim confidence at Bethnal Green and Bow and Bradford West- which both have large numbers of Muslim constituents- under the Respect banner.