After Canada, UK now a Punjabi makes it to Australian parliament

Sunday, 08/09/2013

http://www.punjabnewsline.com/punjab/after-canada-uk-now-a-punjabi-makes-it-to-australian-parliament/86337

CHANDIGARH: Jagjit Singh ‘Jag’ Chugha has become the first Punjabi to enter the Australian parliament after being declared victorious from the Scullin seat in Victoria state in the elections held on September 7. He is the first Punjabi to have contested elections in Australia and won these same time

Born in Moga in 1974, Chugha migrated to Australia with his father Pritam Singh. Pritam Singh after establishing a good business joined Liberal Party and also tried his luck unsuccessfully for the local assembly. Later the family focused all its energies on Chugha who opted to contest from Scullin federal constituency considered to be a Labour Party bastion. He worked hard and surprised everybody with his comfortable victory.

Jagjit Singh “Jag” Chugha (39) is first Punjabi to stand in the contest coming up on September 7 for key parliamentary positions Down Under. The Liberal Party candidate for the federal seat of Scullin had migrated from Moga in 1976. There was no pre-selection in his case.

Both Liberal Party and Labour had fielded Indian-origin candidates. Jag Chugha is one of the three. Having done all his studies in Australia, earned degrees in laws and commerce, and worked as lawyer for more than 15 years, he now is senior counsel at a top 100 Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) listed company.

Politics is in his family as his father, Pritam Singh Chugha, stood in the last state elections in Australia. “He introduced me to the Liberal Party several years ago. I was his campaign director, which strengthened my ties with the party, and I went on to build its Thomastown branch and become its chairman”, he said.

Chugha is also a businessman with interests in restaurants, wholesale grocery, manufacturing and flour mills in Australia. He is also also a migration agent, running VIP Student Migration. His family has business background in India and it established one of the first grocery businesses in Australia.

The Scullin, from where he  won is a 169-square-kilometre constituency that includes Victoria state’s Diamond Creek, Wattle Glen, Hurstbridge, Plenty, Yarrambat, Watsonia North, Bundoora, Thomastown, Mill Park, Lalor, Epping, South Morang and Wollert suburbs.

The other Indian-origin candidates in the race included Shilpa Hegde of Liberal Party, from Wills, and Manoj Kumar of Labour Party, from Manzies (Victoria). Shilpa migrated from Bengaluru in 2001 and Manoj is from Uttar Pradesh originally. However, only Chugha proved lucky to make it to the parliament.