The two by-election results held on Saturday, 8 February, in Prahran and Werribee represent a big tick for the leader of the Opposition Brad Battin, who was only elected leader of the Liberal party in December 2024. While the seat of Prahran has been wrested back from the Greens by the Liberal party (it had been a Liberal strong-hold for decades), it is the seat of Werribee which offers more as homework to the politicians from both major parties as well as the local Indian community. We will have a closer look at the Werribee by-election result.
Pick of the Candidate – Steve Murphy
When the nominations opened, the local Indian community in the district and its surrounds was very hopeful, that the Liberal party would pick one of their political aspirants; there is no dearth of them and rightly so.
Rajan Chopra, a restauranteur was the first Indian name was to surface. The Age, on January 9, wrote:
“The Age can reveal that businessman Rajan Chopra, who established an Indian restaurant in the seat of Werribee about 10 years ago, is among those who have nominated for the electorate.”
The story referred to its inside the party sources to confirm his candidacy.
“He has experience of the problems businesses are facing in Werribee and in Victoria”, the story added.
Rajan Chopra had also been associated with running St Peter Institute with his friend partner Eswar Lakavathu.
As a local businessman, with decade plus experience of running the business, his candidacy was as serious as anyone else’s.
The story also pointed out that he did not live in the electorate.
“… while he is now understood to live in Altona, outside the Werribee electorate, he still has business ties to the seat, including a property recently sold to childcare operators”, the story added.
On February 2, The Age ran another story declaring the Indian community was “disappointed” on the decision of the Liberal party to not preselect Rajan Chopra.
“Influential members of Melbourne’s Indian diaspora were behind a failed push to install self-made businessman Rajan Chopra as the Liberal Party’s candidate for next Saturday’s Werribee byelection…
“The spurned candidacy … has caused consternation within an aspirational migrant community whose votes could determine Saturday’s outcome.”
The story cited three names – Dinesh Gourisetty, Intaj Khan and Manpreet Singh as his backers. If they were his backers, their disappointment is understandable, along with all other family and friends of Rajan Chopra.
But the (Liberal) Indian community was unfortunately painted in wrong light by the story, as if it was divided and would fail to respect the party’s decision.
Far from it. Most of the Indian community Liberal party members, including Dinesh Gourishetty were seen campaigning for Steve Murphy.
As to why the party chose Steve Murphy over Rajan Chopra and anyone else, is for the party to know. If the first preference vote is any guide, it cannot be argued that the decision was an incorrect one. If Labor attacked Steve Murphy for not living in the electorate, Rajan Chopra (as per The Age) does not live there either.
In 2022, Tim Pallas received 17512 or 45.36% first preference votes while the Liberal candidate Mia Shaw (current Mayor of the Wyndham Council) could only manage 9779 or 25.33% of the first preference votes. The huge gap of more than 20% of the first preference votes has now been narrowed to nothing. Tim Pallas’s replacement John Lister received 11448 or 28.71% of the first preference votes while the Liberal party’s Steve Murphy managed to lead by securing 11578 or 29.05% first preference votes.
The story of Werribee by-election is, that for the first time, the first preference vote for the Liberal party is more than the Labor party.
It is a huge win for the Liberals to manage that in the Labor’s heartland in Melbourne’s West – Werribee. And it is a complete vote of confidence in the leadership of Brad Battin and his parliamentary party, who were all seen as one campaigning for Steve Murphy. Who knows what happens in the next few days. As Scott Morrison once said, miracles do happen.
Rajan Chopra should not be unhappy with the result. If Steve Murphy has managed to close the gap in this by-election, it may very well work in favor of any potential challenger including Rajan Chopra in November 2026 or 2030.
Such is politics.
And the readers need to comprehend that ‘a story’ may not be telling the story it is telling them. There may be more to it, especially if it is election time and about politics.