Kishan Devani

Kishan Rajesh Devani BEM (born 1985) is a British politician, educator and activist.

Early life

Devani was born to parents who were Ugandan Asian refugees. Devani is Hindu.

Career

When standing for election in 2010, Devani was a religious studies teacher at the The Swaminarayan School, a private Hindu school in London. He has been Chief Advisor to the World Youth Council. He has also been senior advisor at ActionAid UK.

Devani was Deputy Chairman of the London Conservative Party until 2017 when he joined the Liberal Democrats in order to oppose Brexit. He has been a critic of Islamophobia in the UK Conservative Party. In 2021, he was appointed Honourary Vice President of the Green Liberal Democrats. He has been an associate professor at London Metropolitan University. He was appointed to the Religious Education Council (REC) as an ambassador.

He has been a member of the Liberal Democrats Federal Board. In January 2024, he endorsed Keir Starmer and the Labour Party for the next general election.

Electoral history

Devani stood for the Conservative Party in Leicester East in the 2015 United Kingdom general election. In the 2014 Brent London Borough Council election, Devani came within 20 votes of winning a seat in Northwick Park ward. In the 2016 London Assembly election, Devani was 11th on the Conservative Londonwide party list.

After leaving the Conservatives and joining the Liberal Democrats, Devani was a candidate in the 2018 Hillingdon London Borough Council election in West Ruislip ward but came in last place. Devani was the Liberal Democrat candidate in the Montgomeryshire constituency in the 2019 United Kingdom general election. As a candidate endorsed by More United and Unite to Remain candidate, he came in distant second place with 23% of the vote behind former MP Craig Williams.

In 2023, Devani competed to lead the Liberal Democrat Londonwide party list in the 2024 London Assembly election but was not selected.

Honours

In 2014, he received a National Diversity Award and was also nominated for the 2013 Asian Political and Public Life Awards. In the 2020 New Year Honours, Devani was awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM) by Queen Elizabeth II for services to community cohesion. In 2022 he was made an Honorary Professor at Tashkent Medical Academy in Uzbekistan. Devani is also one of the youngest ever BAME Freemen of London.

References

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