Marisha Ray is a Greater London Authority (GLA) candidate for the Liberal Democratic Party in the upcoming London Assembly elections scheduled on 5 May. A former Councillor for 8 years, Ray stood as an MP candidate in the 2015 General Elections and is now making a return to local politics, urging people to vote for her in the forthcoming elections.
Born in Stamford Brook, in west London, Ray grew up in north London in Haringey, spending plenty of time with her grandparents who lived in Hendon (Barnet) as both her parents worked full time. Her family came to London from Bengal (Bangladesh and India) from 1920s onwards. But having close connections with her aunts and uncles in India, Ray travelled widely across North India and spent many of her summer holidays in Kolkata and New Delhi with family.
She studied Physics at Cambridge University and spent a number of years in academic and industrial research, in geophysics and low-temperature physics. However it was while studying MBA at the College des Ingenieurs in Paris and Stuttgart, she realised that she wished to get actively involved in politics, though the interest was long-standing. Her family has always been politically active – her maternal uncle barrister Siddhartha Shankar Ray joined India’s Congress party and became the Chief Minister of Bengal from 1972 to 1977.
The portrayal of Gandhi in the eponymous classic impressed her considerably even when she was just 14, particularly the differences of the response of the cinema going audience in central London and central Kolkata, where the shock at certain scenes was audible. It was this that made Marisha far more conscious of the differing political and other opinions of different communities. “Gandhi’s adherence to his principles – satyagraha – and his ability to mobilise followers have never ceased to fascinate me,” she added.
In an exclusive interview to Asian Voice, she candidly expressed her views on the importance of local politics and why should one vote for her. She said: “Local politics is the lifeblood of democracy, our local communities steer us as politicians. Local politics ensures that every Londoner can change their area for the better and that every person’s voice in London can be heard.
“I have a track record of raising the right questions, of liaising with all the organisations that are involved at a senior level. My background in business analysis and real life experience of being in one of the fastest improving local authorities in the UK combined with board level experience of a variety of organisations provides me with a combination of experience that few, if any, have had and fewer still who are political candidates. Few have the breadth and depth of experience that I have.”
The choices were plenty, but when Marisha decided to join politics, she read up on the Lib Dem Focus leaflets and found a lot good sense in them.
“I had three reasons for supporting the Liberal Democrats at the time when I decided that I wished to join the party – their stance on Europe, favouring full UK involvement in Europe and insisting that we should negotiate effectively and use our active and senior position inside the union to the full; the long-standing priority they gave education had attracted me to the party while I was still at school myself and thirdly I was impressed by the local campaigning I saw around my home in London. Needless to say, that I took for granted the fact that the economy was safer in Lib Dem hands than in that of any other political party,” she added.
Ray is married to Neil and has a 12-year-old son Abrial, who is a Chorister, singing in the choir of King’s College Cambridge.
