People of Indian origin were the most enthusiastic of British Asians on voting as 51 per cent said they would definitely vote, followed by 39 per cent Bangladeshis, and 38 per cent Pakistanis.
Last Parliament, had six MPs of Asian origin and this time political parties have nominated 89 candidates for the election.
However, only 15 per cent British Asian voters will vote for an Asian candidate and four in 10 British Asians believing that Britain will never have an Asian-origin Prime Minister.
In Britain, Commonwealth citizens living in the country are allowed to vote in local and general elections. The expatriate population from countries like India, Australia, South Africa and the Caribbean is large enough to be considered a significant votebank.
“Commonwealth voters are a big influence, especially in urban areas, especially in Labour seats,” London School of Economics Prof. Patrick Dunleavy told this newspaper.
“Historically about 80 per cent of Asian and African voters have tended to support Labour. The Conservatives are seen as more restrictive on immigration, creating more problems for people keen to bring their families, and they don’t tend to have much support,” he added.
However, rising British concern on immigration, which is getting to be one of the biggest issues in this election, has found resonance in the Asian community too.
The survey revealed that 56 per cent British Asians believe that the new Prime Minister should be tougher on immigration.
The Labour bias amongst the British Asians was revealed when most of them (35 per cent) chose Labour leader Gordon Brown as the political leader they would invite into their home for a curry. Tory leader David Cameron followed at 28 per cent and LibDem leader Nick Clegg at 8 per cent.
Sarju Kaul