{"id":931862,"date":"2026-05-02T01:17:17","date_gmt":"2026-05-02T01:17:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/931862\/"},"modified":"2026-05-02T01:17:17","modified_gmt":"2026-05-02T01:17:17","slug":"edinburgh-council-snp-leader-sets-her-sights-on-holyrood","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/931862\/","title":{"rendered":"Edinburgh Council SNP leader sets her sights on Holyrood"},"content":{"rendered":"

Simita Kumar, the leader of\u00a0Edinburgh Council\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0SNP<\/a>\u00a0Group, has set her sights on Holyrood and Edinburgh South Western after a remarkable rise through the party\u2019s ranks.<\/p>\n

Kumar was inspired to begin campaigning for\u00a0Scottish Independence\u00a0<\/a>after voting no in the 2014 referendum, saying that she regretted the decision immediately.<\/p>\n

Following a career in health and the public sector, she joined the SNP and embarked on a political career to attempt to \u201cright the wrong\u201d of rejecting independence.<\/p>\n

She was elected to The City of Edinburgh Council in the Southside\/Newington ward in 2022 and became the\u00a0SNP group\u2019s leader in the council just two years later<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"SimitaSimita Kumar has enjoyed a remarkable rise since her initial reticence to run for council in 2022 \u00a9 Martin McAdam<\/p>\n

Cllr Kumar was encouraged to run for election to the council, but was initially reticent.<\/p>\n

She decided to take the plunge, however, and eventually found herself representing the Southside\/ Newington ward. She said she essentially has had to learn politics \u201con the job\u201d.<\/p>\n

She ran during the 2024 UK General election in Edinburgh South, finishing a distant second to long-term Labour MP, Ian Murray.<\/p>\n

She is hoping to avenge that defeat in May this year and represent Edinburgh from Holyrood rather than the City Chambers.<\/p>\n

She said: \u201cAm I confident? The polls are looking good for the SNP, which is fantastic, but equally, my motto is that I\u2019m going to fight for every single vote and hope that it goes my way, but not taking anything for granted.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think there is a lot of negative political discourse at the moment from different parties, and one of the things that I am maintaining is that I want to run a positive campaign.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of the things that I\u2019ve seen from other political parties, it\u2019s all about stopping at the SNP, rather than offering anything to do or have a plan.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhereas I\u2019m really pleased with the manifesto that I\u2019ve contributed towards, and so I\u2019m here to work for the people and with the people, and with everyone in the constituency.\u201d<\/p>\n

She added that she is proud of the SNP\u2019s record in government over the past 19 years as well as her own record as SNP leader in the council:<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been such a privilege to lead the SNP group. It is the largest group, despite the fact that we\u2019re in opposition.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course, it\u2019s difficult for us to pass good policies that we believe in from opposition.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been difficult, but I think we\u2019ve done a fantastic job to hold the Labour\u2013Lib Dem council to account and get good things passed through, like holiday hubs, for example.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were a strong advocate for allocating more housing funding from the Visitor Levy. There\u2019s lots of things we\u2019ve been able to push despite being in opposition, so I\u2019m proud of our record.\u201d<\/p>\n

She also went on to defend the SNP\u2019s 19 years in government, despite measurable falls in the standard of public education and skyrocketing drugs death rates, outlining policies such as the Scottish Child Payment.<\/p>\n

She said: \u201cThe Scottish Government and the SNP, yes, they\u2019ve been in power in Scotland for a long time, but being in power, we\u2019ve made political choices that have actually improved people\u2019s lives despite the challenges we\u2019ve faced.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were brought out of the European Union despite the fact that Scotland voted against it. Our cost of food is phenomenal compared to where we started, because of Brexit.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve had Tory austerity, so we\u2019ve had all these root causes, and it\u2019s about having a government that truly listens to people and goes and thinks about that political choice.\u201d<\/p>\n

When asked whether she ever encountered any frustration with SNP policy among the electorate, she said that malaise is more often directed at Westminster and politics as a whole.<\/p>\n

She said: \u201cThere are people and there are pockets of communities who are frustrated, and I totally understand the frustrations as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really hard to distinguish what\u2019s council policy, what\u2019s Scottish Government policy what\u2019s Westminster policy.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople are more concerned about how much money they have at the end of the day, the week, the month.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is something that, again, I\u2019m passionate about, and something that if I\u2019m successful, I\u2019m going to really work hard to make sure that, you know, people are accessing benefits, have good housing, have money at the end of the of the month to actually live and live well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Victory would confirm her rapid ascent through the SNP ranks, which has seen her labelled a \u201crising star\u201d by The National.<\/p>\n

She said: \u201cThese are lovely labels, but I\u2019m more focused on the task of the day.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is such a privileged position to be elected, it truly is.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, it\u2019s about understanding what I stood for in the first place, what are the differences I can make, and how can I work hard to achieve them.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd if I can continue to do that, then that would be the meteoric rise that I would hope for, which is making a difference and anything above and beyond that is a bonus.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ms Kumar, who was born in Fiji in the South Pacific, is hoping to become the first ethnic minority woman elected to Holyrood from Edinburgh and the Lothians.<\/p>\n

She is running in Edinburgh South Western, a traditional Labour stronghold. <\/p>\n

She is also third on the SNP\u2019s regional list, where her chances of election may be slim due to the SNP\u2019s projected success in the city\u2019s constituencies. <\/p>\n

The candidates in Edinburgh South Western include: <\/p>\n