Left: Tiger Patel strikes a pose Image: Screengrab from Vali Bagas Youtube channel. Right: Richard Nixon is mobbed by wildly cheering supporters as he arrives at the Hilton Plaza Hotel, his Miami Beach headquarters. Photo: Bettmann/CORBIS/Bettmann Archive
A local politician who went viral for a campaign video in which he struck a Richard Nixon-style victory pose while stood behind some graffiti depicting a cock and balls and the word “suck”, has won in England’s local council elections.Tiger Patel, real name Altaf, has been elected as a Conservative Party councillor for the Blackburn with Darwen Council in north west England. Patel received 52.5 percent of the vote, a swing of 38 percent from Labour.In a campaign video that went viral, Patel is seen walking through a children’s playground as “Tabdeeli Ayi Re”, a song made famous by Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s successful election campaign, plays. He gestures to a place where a swing is missing and pointedly puts his foot in a pothole, before mounting a climbing frame, putting his arms aloft and giving “victory” signs, while unknowingly standing in front of a picture of male genitalia.Patel’s victory was one of many positive results for the ruling Conservative Party, as it made significant gains, taking control of local councils at the expense of the Labour Party. It was a torrid night for Labour, which also lost a House of Commons byelection in Hartlepool in northeast England – a seat which Labour had held since its creation in 1974. More results are expected to come throughout the weekend.The result is being seen as a test for Labour leader Keir Starmer, who is already facing pressure from critics on the left of the party. The party had hoped that recent scandals, including questions over who paid to redecorate Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s flat, would damage the Conservatives.Patel told the Lancashire Telegraph, “I would like to thank the community and also my dedicated cameraman Abu Bakar Lorgat.”
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