London: Rishi Sunak, former chancellor of the UK, won the most votes in the first round of voting to succeed Boris Johnson as Conservative Party leader and UK Prime Minister.
Rishi Sunak scored 88 votes, ahead of Penny Mordaunt (67 votes) and Truss Liz (50 votes). Finance minister Nadhim Zahawi and former cabinet minister Jeremy Hunt were eliminated.
Also in the race is another Indian-origin member of Parliament – Attorney General Suella Braverman.
Under the election schedule, Boris Johnson’s successor as Conservative leader is meant to be announced on September 5, as the party seeks to rebuild its popular support after he was felled by non-stop scandal.
The next round of voting by the 358 Conservative members of Parliament to pick their favourites left on the ballot paper is scheduled for Thursday, when the field of candidates will be narrowed down even further to a shorter list of finalists.
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