Sai Shraddha Suresh Viswanathan
Sai Shraddha Suresh Viswanathan, an Indian-origin student leader and current president of the National Union of Students for Scotland, has claimed she was asked to withdraw from her candidacy for the Scottish Greens because of her student visa status.Viswanathan had applied to run in the Holyrood elections for the north-east of Scotland, and was ranked third on the party’s list of candidates during internal selections last year.However, she said party officials later advised her to step down after concerns were raised about whether she would be able to remain in the UK for a full parliamentary term.The controversy comes after Q Manivanan, who was also in the UK on a student visa, was allowed to stand in the election and was subsequently elected as the MSP for the Edinburgh and East Lothians region.Viswanathan told BBC Scotland she was told during a phone call with a party official that legal advice suggested she might not be eligible to serve as an MSP if she could not secure her immigration status for the duration of the term.She said the experience had a serious impact on her personally although she was happy to see her fellow Green Party candidates elected.“I was thrilled that many of my Green Party colleagues were elected, but having to withdraw has had a significant impact on my health and well-being,” Viswanathan said.
In the party’s statement, she was accused of inconsistency in the way candidates were treated.“Ultimately, there was a discrepancy in how the party advised the different candidates,” she said.“Immigration is a sensitive topic for many immigrants like me, who should be allowed to participate in the electoral process, as the recent election results have shown us.”Changes introduced in 2024 allow people who do not have permanent residence rights in the UK to stand in elections to the Scottish Parliament.
However, MSPs can be disqualified if they lose the legal right to remain in the country during their term.The Scottish Greens said no candidate had been prevented from running due to visa issues.A party spokesperson told BBC Scotland: “Candidates are responsible for ensuring they meet all legal and eligibility requirements before standing for election, including any matters relating to their visa status.”“We cannot comment on individual candidates or internal selection processes, but we can confirm that no one has been prevented from running for the Scottish Greens because of their visa status.”The spokesman added that the party remained satisfied with the guidance provided to candidates, and said that the Green Party were proud to have elected the largest ever group of LGBT+ members to the Scottish Parliament.