Sufi Khandoker (Independent)
Let’s just get this out the way: for Sufi Khandoker to win in Gorton
would be an event completely unprecedented in modern British politics.
But I need to tell you about the man. Sufi Khandoker has run
the Khandoker curry house for more than 30 years. Yeah, you probably
know the one. It’s on Kingsway, near the Parrs Wood cinema - if you’re
like me you’ll have driven past it a hundred times but never been in.
What you probably won’t know is that it’s part of the oldest Indian
restaurant business in the city. Sufi’s grandfather was a curry pioneer;
he came to Manchester from Bangladesh in the 1930s and created
something out of nothing. The curry mile might be dying these days, but
Khandoker is still standing.
Why does Sufi want to be my MP? On
the face of it, it’s hard to say. Sometimes independents are driven to
stand because of something they feel passionately about, such as the
closure of a hospital, or in George Galloway’s case, himself. Sometimes
fringe candidates stand not to win, but to bring their message to a
wider audience - like David Hopkins, who’s standing to spread the word
about the idea of ‘direct democracy’. But none of this, as far as I
know, applies to Sufi Khandoker.
No, his message is simply ‘I’m
Sufi Khandoker, pillar of the community, and I should be MP for
Manchester Gorton’. His policies are broad: make housing more
affordable. Reduce crime. Support small businesses. Promote education.
These are the things Sufi believes in. But why does he think he is best
placed to deliver them? Is there really no party that he feels can
accommodate him?
It’s virtually impossible for independents to
break through at parliamentary elections. Martin Bell’s victory in
Tatton in 1997, on an anti-sleaze ticket, was sensational because it was
so unusual - he was the first independent to win a seat since 1951. It
was only made possible because feelings were running high, and because
neither the Lib Dems or Labour fielded a candidate, and because Martin
Bell had a high media profile. You see where I’m going with this.
The deposit is £500 and on a turnout of 30,000 Sufi would need 1,500
votes to keep his. If all of his extended friends and family vote for
him, plus some of his customers, plus a few people who have heard about
his tireless good work for the community, my guess is he might get 400
votes. Then there’s the cost of the banners, the posters, the leaflets.
Why put yourself through it?
12 years ago Sufi was queuing to get on a flight to Benidorm. He was
wearing a suit, his wife was in traditional dress. The kids were looking
smart, representing the family. He eventually got to the check in desk
and they asked him what was in his bag. Sufi said: ‘Why? It’s not as if
I’ve got a bomb’. Well, it was a stupid question. Him! A man of charity,
of the community. But what did they do? Arrested him, in front of his
wife and children. Humiliated him. Then pursued the case vindictively -
took him to court. How must that have felt to this man, who’d dressed up
to go to the Costa Blanca, who helped his community, to whom reputation
mattered? Sufi won his case - of course he did - but from that day to
this if you search the name Sufi Khandoker, the first result will be
that story.
Sufi Khandoker has supported so many charities, did
you know that? Done so much for the community down the years. Been a
school governor. Did you know pensioners eat free in his restaurant at
Christmas? Well, you do now.
