Norsheen Bhatti

Norsheen Bhatti (also known as Nowsheen Bhatti and Kiki Bhatti) (born 14 July 1976 in Birmingham) is a British politician. She was the Conservative prospective parliamentary candidate for Stoke-on-Trent Central in 2010.
Career
After graduating from Keele University with a in International Relations, Norsheen worked as a parliamentary researcher at the Houses of Parliament. She has since worked within public policy and law for organisations including the Housing Law Practitioners’ Association and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees.
Belly dancing
Bhatti is a successful part-time belly dancer, often performing at private parties and restaurants in London.
She has auditioned for World music band Oojami and performed at London belly dance showcase Planet Egypt. She has made numerous television appearances, including performing on ITV's ' with singer Akon in 2005 (promoting his single "") and Channel 4's Celebrity Come Dine With Me in 2009 (with public relations guru Lynne Franks and The Apprentice reality TV star Raef Bjayou).
Political career
A Liberal Democrat activist from the age of 18, Bhatti was Paddy Ashdown's assistant when he was party leader. She ran for the party in Brent East in 2001 (third, increasing share of the vote to 11%), and in Battersea in 2005 (third, increasing share of the vote to 15%). In 2006, Bhatti ran for Wandsworth Borough Council, coming fifth in the three-seat Graveney ward.
Bhatti had been selected as the Liberal Democrat candidate for Chelsea and Fulham for the next general election, when she defected to the Conservative Party in April 2009. She cited David Cameron's commitment to helping more members of ethnic minorities be elected, writing in her resignation letter that the Liberal Democrats were no longer 'representative of the people and views of all members of British society', and accused the party of 'drifting into the wilderness' under Nick Clegg.
In December 2009, Bhatti was selected as the Conservative prospective parliamentary candidate for the safe Labour seat of Stoke-on-Trent Central. This was the constituency in which the British National Party launched their manifesto for the 2010 general election campaign on a platform of immigration control. Ms Bhatti's work as a part-time belly dancer was the subject of much comment during the 2010 election campaign.
Labour's Tristram Hunt was elected as MP for Stoke-on-Trent Central with 38.8% of the vote (down 13.6% on 2005). The Liberal Democrat candidate came second with 21.7% of the vote, with Bhatti finishing just behind in third place with 6,833 votes (21%). Bhatti's share of the vote was 3.7% up on the Conservatives' vote in 2005, and was the best result for the Tories since Nick Gibb contested the seat in 1992. High ranking BNP official Simon Darby finished fourth with 7.7% of the vote.
Personal life
Bhatti is second-generation British Pakistani.<ref name="Daily Mail 29-12-09" /> She was born and raised in Birmingham, studied at Keele University and graduated in 1998. She currently lives in south west London.<ref name="Daily Mail 29-12-09" />

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