Galloway a distant third as bookies predict two-horse race in Poplar & Limehouse
19 March 2010
eastlondonadvertiser.co.uk
BOOKIES have put Respect's George Galloway in third place as he fights to wrest the new Poplar and Limehouse seat from Labour.
Mr Galloway won Bethnal Green and Bow from Labour's Oona King in 2005 by just 823 votes. He hopes to oust food and farming minister Jim Fitzpatrick who currently has a 7,129 majority in the neighbouring current Poplar and Canning Town constituency. Boundary changes have seen Mr Fitzpatrick's seat rejigged to take in Limehouse.
But Ladbrokes make Tory councillor Tim Archer the evens favourite with Labour just behind on 11/10 with Respect trailing at 7-1. The English Democrats Andrew Osborne and Lib Dem's Jonathan Fryer are put at 100/1. Ladbrokes have not yet supplied odds for Independent candidate Jim Thornton. The candidates will all be meeting in the TV studio on Sunday for BBC's The Politics Show.
Meanwhile Respect is put in second place in Bethnal Green and Bow where the party's council group leader Abjol Miah is quoted at 3/1, Labour's Rushanara Ali is 1/4 favourite, the Conservative's Zakir Khan at 12/1 and the Liberal Democrats Ajmal Masroor at 100/1. The firm's online betting service does not give odds for Farid Bakht for the Greens or the United Voice's Hasib Hikmat.
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I'll try to get that Politics Show uploaded.
