Former Oxford Union president determined to upset the odds in mayoral election
A former President of the Oxford Union is hoping to follow in the footsteps of some of his predecessors by landing high political office.
Ashvir Sangha is standing as an independent candidate for West Midlands Mayor, taking on the political might of Tory incumbent Andy Street and his Labour challenger Liam Byrne.
The 31-year-old, who was born in Shrewsbury and grew up in Birmingham, served as Oxford Union President in 2010-11, a position previously held by Boris Johnson, William Hague, Michael Gove, and Benazir Bhutto, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan.
However, he insists he will be anything but the "typical politician" should he upset the odds and be elected as the region's second metro mayor on May 7.
"The Oxford Union has a reputation as a breeding ground for politicians, but I want to approach the role of mayor in a way that is not very traditional," he said.
"In my professional career I have found politicians to be either inaccessible or not responsive. People are fed up of them not acting on their promises. I want to shake up the system."
Mr Sangha said he voted for Mr Street in the 2017 mayoral election, but says his "lack of action" over the last three years prompted him to stand himself in a bid to force "genuine change".
An education professional, he started writing mentoring courses for young people while still at university, before launching a business that would eventually become Lunar Academy, which he runs to this day.
He says he is a firm believer that education is the route to success, something he says was drilled into him from an early age by his family.
Unsurprisingly, he has vowed to prioritise education in his campaign, with a range of measures including a summer programme for all 16-18 year-olds.
He wants the Mayor's office to be less centralised, with 100 "community champions" based around the region in place of staff in an expensively run office.
Mr Sangha has also vowed to fight for greater powers, including the ability to raise taxes, while he will look to bring more corporate sponsorship into the region.
He concedes he faces a David vs Goliath battle, but insists he can "surprise a few people" on May 7.
"The political parties say the mayor needs to be someone who knows their way around Whitehall, but I believe an independent voice would be better," he said.
"People want a someone who is young, British Asian and representative of the communities of the West Midlands. It is about having a different kind of mayor's office which is more responsive to the region's needs.
"We're going to cause a political earthquake."
