The recent Scottish election saw a major win for the UK as voters denied the SNP a majority, thus rejecting their plans for a second referendum.
Scottish Conservative candidate Pam Gosal was particularly pleased following her selection as an MSP for the West region. Pam is the first female Indian and first Sikh to win a place at Holyrood, a huge achievement that received international attention, particularly from Indian media outlets. She is also the first female Sikh conservative elected anywhere in the UK.
Until now, there had only ever been four minority ethnic MSPs elected to the Scottish Parliament, all of them men. As the first woman of colour to take the oath, Pam is helping to make Holyrood far more diverse.
Commenting on her victory, she said:
"What a great honour it is to be an MSP for the Scottish Conservative Party. I want to thank all the voters, volunteers, my friends, family and the party for giving me so much support."
"I am delighted, honoured and very proud of this win and am looking forward to serving my constituents as we have so much to do after the pandemic."
It was a good weekend for the Scottish Conservatives across the country, once again returning 31 MSPs, defying pollsters and cementing their place as the main opposition. They won their highest ever vote share, retaining several key constituencies and narrowly missing out on some hotly contested marginals. Over 100,000 more people supported the party than did in 2016. And they won more list votes than the SNP did in 2007.
Now that the dust has settled, the hard work of recovery begins, with MSPs gathering at Holyrood for their induction on Monday and Wednesday. On Thursday morning, they were sworn in, each pledging allegiance to Her Majesty the Queen as faithful public servants. Some members decided to use a different language as part of the ceremony, and Pam participated in this tradition by reading a Sikh prayer, known as the Mool Mantar, before giving her oath in English.
By the end of Thursday afternoon, MSPs had elected a new Presiding Officer, with deputy Presiding Officers chosen the following day, all on a secret ballot.
After a busy first week learning the ropes, Pam is settling in nicely and excited to start legislating for Scotland's recovery. More news will follow in the coming weeks, once her office is fully organised, but anyone wishing to contact her in the meantime can do so through the parliamentary channels outlined below.
Email: [email protected]
