Indian-origin candidate Rishi Sunak, who has become a strong face in the United Kingdom Prime Ministerial race, has emerged victorious in the fourth round of voting by his colleagues in the Conservative Party, inching closer to victory in the race.
It is likely that Sunak will become the next Prime Minister of the UK, succeeding party leader Boris Johnson after he tendered his resignation from the post. Now, Tory MPs will vote for the last time on Wednesday to decide which two candidates should go through to the run-off vote among party members.
Sunak, the British Indian former Chancellor, received 118 votes in the fourth round of voting by his party colleagues on Tuesday, just shy of the 120-mark - or one-third of Conservative Party MPs - needed to confirm his place as one of the final contenders in the race to replace Boris Johnson.
Increasing his tally from Monday's 115, the 42-year-old political leader emerged victorious in the fourth round of voting, while Trade Minister Penny Mordaunt got 92 votes and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss 86 votes leaving the race to clinch second place still open.
After the recent voting round by the Conservative party, only three remain in the running for the UK PM spot – Rishi Sunak, Penny Mordaunt, and Liz Truss. Kemi Badenoch was eliminated from the race a few days back, with Mordaunt and Tuss battling for the second spot.
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The final two candidates will be known after a fifth round of voting on Wednesday, at the end of which the race will be taken over by the Conservative Party headquarters to organise hustings in different parts of the UK.
The focus will then be on convincing the Tory party membership base, estimated at around 160,000 voters, to cast their ballots in favour of one of the two remaining candidates. The votes for the UK PM elections 2022 will be counted at the end of August, while the name will be announced on September 5, as per the official administration.
(With PTI inputs)
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