Councillor in bid to unseat First Minister

A Labour councillor with just three years under her belt has been selected by the party to challenge First Minister Nicola Sturgeon for her southside seat.
Fariha Thomas will stand against Nicola SturgeonFariha Thomas will stand against Nicola Sturgeon
Fariha Thomas will stand against Nicola Sturgeon

Fariha Thomas (60) has lived in the southside for 35 years after moving from the east having completed her studies at Edinburgh University.

There has been some commentary both locally and nationally that the party should have fielded a more seniorand experienced candidate, however it appears a lot of the potential names have retreated to the list section of the ballot in the hope of winning a seat in the Scottish Parliament.

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Fariha, in speaking to the press said: “I believe there is every chance of a Labour win.

“We will be making the most of the opportunities and I believe it will be a very exciting campaign.

“From the moment I put my name forward to be approved for a selection panel, I have only ever been interested in standing in Glasgow Southside, that is my area.

“I wanted to stand because I believe Scotland would benefit from having a Labour government. The party has excellent policies and I wanted the opportunity to put those forward.”

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Thomas, who represents Govan on Glasgow city council, was selected last week defeating rival activist Scott Nicholson. He was Labours candidate for Perth and North Perthshire in May’s General Election.

The 2016 Scottish Parliament election is to be held on Thursday, May 5 to elect 129 members to the Scottish Parliament. It will be the fifth general election since the devolved parliament was established in 1999.