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From Student Politics To Contesting The UK Parliamentary Elections: Here's The Story Of A 29-Year-Old Kolkata Boy

He believes that Brexit is a 'disaster'.
Rohit K Dasgupta/Facebook

Rohit K Dasgupta, 29, left Kolkata about eight years ago for his post graduation in the UK. Now, the alumnus of St. James' School and Jadavpur University, is contesting the elections from East Hampshire seat on a Labour Party ticket, in the battle against the Theresa May government.

He will be the first Bengali to be in the electoral fray in the UK, notes Hindustan Times.

Dasgupta is a lecturer at the Loughborough University. He joined the Labour Party in 2009.

Like many, Dasgupta believes that Brexit is a 'disaster'.

"Theresa May's clarion call for Brexit at all cost must be opposed. These costs include higher education - people no longer want to come here to study - health and diversity. We must engage with the people in order to reverse the damage," he told The Telegraph in an interview.

Dasgupta said that after the referendum, he was called a terrorist once. "I was appalled at the xenophobia in the country," he said.

He says that his graduation days are also responsible for his ideologies, which eventually led him to enter British politics. "The political idealism and academic richness of that space taught me the value of engaging in the political sphere," Dasgupta told The Telegraph.

The seat Dasgupta is contesting from is a stronghold of the Conservative Party; it secured more than 50% votes both in 2010 and 2015.

The 29-year-old lecturer said that his campaign will focus on the issues of housing, education, health and fair living wage. Among other things, it will be focused on "....Building more social housing and caps on rent and rogue landlords, making education available to everyone and not burden students with debts after university," he told HT.

And if he wins, he says he would push for stronger ties with not just India, but also Bengal.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.