Forty-two-year-old Devanand “Dave” Sharma beat seven candidates to win preselection at the crucial Wentworth seat in Sydney vacated by former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
Mr Sharma, thought to be “cabinet material” according to some media reports, won the preselection despite Prime Minister Scott backing a female candidate for the seat and believed to have asked him to withdraw from the seat.
Having served as Australia’s ambassador to Israel – as the youngest ever person - and only the second Australian of Indian heritage to become an ambassador, Mr Sharma has Mr Turnbull’s backing, as well as that of former PM John Howard.
After his preselection, Mr Morrision described him as a “quality guy” and the best candidate for Wentworth.
While Mr Sharma will be under pressure to hold the traditionally safe Liberal seat in Sydney where the Liberals are expected to face a big away swing, his supporters believe he will be able to win this election.
“I am sure he will be a good member of parliament who can deliver,” says Yadu Singh – a Sydney Cardiologist and president of the Federation of Indian Associations of NSW.
Dr Singh says Mr Sharma’s preselection for Wentworth will encourage aspiring politicians of the South Asian backgrounds.
“There’s no doubt that Mr Sharma’s preselection has been due to his own ability and merit, and we are very happy and pleased for that. His Indian ancestry is a bonus point for the Indian community of Sydney.
“But until now it’s always been tokenism. So far all the candidates of Indian heritage have only been fielded from seats where no one else would contest because they were unwinnable.
"But with this [Mr Sharma’s preselection], we need to take confidence that if you have the ability and quality, you will get there and just because you are from a particular ethnicity won’t go against you,” Dr Singh said.
His strong credentials will make him one of the most qualified members of parliament if elected. Fairfax Media quoted a senior Liberal functionary describing him as a “future prime minister”.
Mr Sharma has a background in law, medicine and finance. He first studied arts at the University of Cambridge but later transferred to law. After returning to Australia, he studied medicine before starting his career with the Australian Government.
He was appointed Australia’s ambassador to Israel in 2013 when he was 37. He has had nearly two decades of experience of public service in the Australian Government. Currently, Mr Sharma works for a private financial firm leading their Government Relations, Incentives & Innovation team.
He was born in Vancouver, Canada and moved to Australia when he was four years old.
Labor Senator Lisa Singh is the only parliamentarian of Indian heritage in the current federal parliament.
