Indian-origin minister all set to be Irish PM

London, June 2 

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Leo Varadkar, an Indian-origin doctor and Ireland's first openly gay minister, today won the leadership race for the ruling party to become the country's youngest-ever and first homosexual Prime Minister-in-waiting.

Varadkar, 38, will officially take over as Taoiseach, as the Irish prime ministerial title is known in Ireland, in Parliament later this month after he was declared the winner in the leadership race for the Fine Gael party. He took a majority of the votes to be declared as the 11th leader of the party as counting concluded at Mansion House in Dublin.

The final count, including all three electoral colleges, saw Varadkar win with 60% to Housing Minister Simon Coveney’s 40% votes. Polling had closed earlier today with a 100% turnout in the parliamentary party recorded.

The Dublin-born son of Mumbai-born Ashok Varadkar and Irish mother Miriam, served as Ireland's welfare minister and had emerged as the most popular choice since he announced his candidacy after current leader Enda Kenny stepped down as PM earlier this year. — PTI