Gagan Mohindra
{{Short description|British politician (born 1978)}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| image = Official portrait of Gagan Mohindra MP crop 2, 2024.jpg
| caption = Official portrait, 2024
| honorific-prefix =
| name = Gagan Mohindra
| office1 = Shadow Minister for Education
| leader1 = Rishi Sunak
| term_start1 = 19 July 2024
| term_end1 = 4 November 2024
| predecessor1 = Catherine McKinnell
| successor1 = Neil O'Brien
| office2 = Assistant Government Whip
| primeminister2 = Rishi Sunak
| term_start2 = 18 September 2023
| term_end2 = 5 July 2024
| predecessor2 =
| office3 = Essex County Councillor
for Chigwell and Loughton Broadway
| term_start3 = 4 May 2017
| term_end3 = 13 April 2021
| predecessor3 = John Knapman
| successor3 = Lee Scott
| office4 = Member of Parliament
for South West Hertfordshire
| predecessor4 = David Gauke
| successor4 =
| majority4 = 4,456 (9.23%)
| term_start4 = 12 December 2019
| birth_name = Gagan Mohindra
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1978|04|07}}
| party = Conservative
| alma_mater = King's College London
| website = {{URL|gaganmohindra.org.uk}}
| honorific_suffix = MP
| office = Opposition Deputy Chief Whip in the House of Commons
| term_start = 6 November 2024
| predecessor = Mark Tami
| alongside = Joy Morrissey
| leader = Kemi Badenoch
}}
Gagan Mohindra (born 7 April 1978){{Cite book|last=Brunskill|first=Ian|url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/1129682574|title=The Times guide to the House of Commons 2019 : the definitive record of Britain's historic 2019 General Election|date=19 March 2020|isbn=978-0-00-839258-1|pages=229|publisher=HarperCollins Publishers Limited |oclc=1129682574}} is a British politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for South West Hertfordshire since 2019. A member of the Conservative Party, he has been Opposition Deputy Chief Whip in the House of Commons since November 2024, serving alongside Joy Morrissey.{{Cite web |title=Kemi Badenoch appoints Shadow Ministerial Team |url=https://policymogul.com/key-updates/39726/kemi-badenoch-appoints-shadow-ministerial-team?or=null |access-date=2024-11-07 |website=policymogul.com |language=en}}
Early life and career
Gagan Mohindra was born on 7 April 1978 into a Punjabi Hindu family.{{Cite news |date=14 December 2019 |title=15 Indian-origin MPs in new UK Parliament |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/uk/15-indian-origin-mps-in-new-uk-parliament/articleshow/72550708.cms |website=The Times of India}} His parents were both from Punjab, and immigrated to the United Kingdom before Mohindra was born. His paternal grandfather served in the British Indian Army.{{Cite web|url=https://www.gaganmohindra.org.uk/about-gagan-mohindra|title=About Gagan Mohindra|website=Gagan Mohindra}} Mohindra was raised as a Hindu.
Mohindra read Mathematics at King's College London and worked in financial services, before founding the Chromex Group four years after graduating, where he worked until 2015. The last filed accounts of the company show liabilities of £1.4 million.{{Cite web|url=https://www.obv.org.uk/node/12334|title=Gagan Mohindra MP (Conservative)|website=obv.org.uk}}
Political career
Mohindra was elected as a Conservative Party councillor for the Grange Hill Ward of Epping Forest District Council in May 2006, and served as a councillor for the Chigwell and Loughton Broadway division on Essex County Council till 2021.{{cite web |title=Councillor Gagan Mohindra |url=https://rds.eppingforestdc.gov.uk/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=398 |website=Your council |publisher=Epping Forest District Council |access-date=14 December 2019 |archive-date=5 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200805124149/https://rds.eppingforestdc.gov.uk/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=398 |url-status=dead }} He continued in these roles, unpaid, after being elected to Parliament until 2021.{{Cite web|url=https://www.essexlive.news/news/essex-news/new-herts-mp-keep-essex-3710338|title=New MP will keep Essex council seat - and monthly allowance|first=Piers|last=Meyler|date=6 January 2020|website=essexlive}} Mohindra was also previously Chairman of Essex Conservatives.
At the 2010 general election, Mohindra stood in North Tyneside, coming third with 18.3% of the vote behind the Labour candidate Mary Glindon and the Liberal Democrat candidate.{{cite web |title=Election Data 2010 |url=http://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/electdata_2010.txt |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130726162034/http://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/electdata_2010.txt |archive-date=26 July 2013 |access-date=17 October 2015 |publisher=Electoral Calculus}}http://www.northtyneside.gov.uk/pls/portal/NTC_PSCM.PSCM_Web.download?p_ID=514458 {{Dead link|date=April 2022}}
He was also shortlisted to become MP for Brentwood and Ongar in 2017, but lost the nomination to Alex Burghart.
Parliamentary career
At the 2019 general election, Mohindra was elected to Parliament as MP for South West Hertfordshire with 49.6% of the vote and a majority of 14,408.{{cite news |title=Hertfordshire South West Parliamentary constituency |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/constituencies/E14000951 |access-date=13 December 2019 |website=BBC News |publisher=BBC}} He was one of 15 MPs of Indian origin elected at the 2019 general election.
He is a member of the Conservative Friends of India, a group within the Conservative Party.{{Cite news|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/uk-polls-5-punjab-origin-mps-make-it-to-house-of-commons/story-7I6Id2kkBshBq3Vg1CIdWM.html|title=UK polls: 5 Punjab-origin MPs make it to House of Commons|work=Hindustan Times}}
In 2020, Mohindra was appointed to the Public Accounts Committee.{{Cite web|url=https://www.politicshome.com/news/article/new-appointments-this-week-in-uk-politics-the-civil-service-and-public-affairs-73038|title=New appointments this week in UK politics, the civil service and public affairs|date=March 17, 2020|website=Politics Home}}
In October 2020, Mohindra voted against the opposition motion to provide free school meals to children during school holidays.{{cite web|url=https://www.theyworkforyou.com/divisions/pw-2020-10-21-154-commons/mp/25920|title=Free School Meals During School Holidays, in line with the Conservative Party's stance that meals outside of term time were the responsibility of parents and not schools. |publisher=They Work For You|access-date=10 October 2021}}
On 13 June 2022, Mohindra was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary to Priti Patel, the home secretary,{{cite tweet |last1=Heale |first1=James |user=JAHeale |title=Some PPS changes for rising Tory stars: -Rob Butler to Liz Truss -Selaine Saxby to Simon Clarke -James Sunderland to George Eustice -Gagan Mohindra to Priti Patel |number=1536441496945184768 |access-date=14 June 2022 |date=13 June 2022}} and was appointed as an Assistant Government Whip on 18 September 2023.{{Cite web |title=Promotions for @JacobYoungMP to replace @DehennaDavison and @gaganmohindra to the whips office |url=https://twitter.com/PARLYapp/status/1703746934085759365?t=w4viBoSClDYAnlOManUqKQ&s=19 |access-date=2023-09-18 |website=X (formerly Twitter) |language=en}}
At the 2024 general election, Mohindra was re-elected as MP for South West Hertfordshire with a decreased vote share of 34.1% and a decreased majority of 4,456.{{Cite web |title=General Election results July 2024 |url=https://www.threerivers.gov.uk/services/elections-and-democracy/election-results/general-election-results-july-2024 |access-date=2024-07-15 |website=www.threerivers.gov.uk |language=en}} He became Shadow Minister for Education in July 2024.{{Cite web |title=Conservative Party announces interim Opposition Front Bench |url=https://policymogul.com/key-updates/37814/conservative-party-announces-interim-opposition-front-bench |access-date=2024-07-25 |website=policymogul.com |language=en}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{commons category}}
- {{UK MP links |parliament=4804 |publicwhip=Gagan_Mohindra |theywork=gagan_mohindra}}
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{{s-par|uk}}
{{s-bef|before= David Gauke}}
{{s-ttl|title=Member of Parliament
for South West Hertfordshire|years=2019–present}}
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{{Conservative Party UK MPs}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mohindra, Gagan}}
Category:Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies
Category:Members of Parliament for South West Hertfordshire
Category:Members of Essex County Council
Category:Conservative Party (UK) councillors