Sunak won 137 votes in the final round
Ahead of the resignation of UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Rishi Sunak is now the closest anyone of Indian origin has ever been to take charge as British Prime Minister, after his Conservative Party colleagues voted overwhelmingly in his favour with 137 votes in the final round today, say the officials.
The 42-year-old former Chancellor has not assured a similarly easy ride as he faces a much tougher electorate of the Tory membership base, which has shown favouritism for his rival Liz Truss in most recent surveys.
Moreover, with a televised debate on BCC for Monday between the final two contenders and a series of hustings to be held up and down the UK, there is time for the MPs' favourite to try and replicate that result at the end of postal ballots on September 5.
"This leadership contest is about more than just being the leader of our party, it's about becoming the custodian of our United Kingdom," said Sunak, in one of a series of debates and interviews since he launched his leadership bid earlier this month.
The PM candidate, Sunak, has tried to strike a balance between the personal and professional, from the launch of his bid with the story of his Indian family that emigrated from East Africa in the 1960s.
Regarding his general practitioner father Yashvir and mother Usha, he shared, "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."
That personal story recently also extended to a visibly emotional reference to his parents-in-law - Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy and Sudha Murty - as he hit back at attacks on his wife Akshata's family wealth.
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