Green candidate claims she was made to withdraw from election over student visa

A Scottish Green candidate has said she was asked to withdraw from the election due to her student visa status.

This is despite Q Manivannan, who is also living in the UK on a student visa, being elected as a Green MSP for Edinburgh and Lothian East region.

Manivannan and Iris Duane, who is also a Green MSP, were elected as the first transgender representatives in the history of the Scottish Parliament.

The Scottish Greens have said that no candidates were blocked from standing due to their visa status.

Sai Shraddha Suresh Viswanathan, who is originally from India and was third on the party’s North East list, is the current president of the National Union of Students (NUS) in Scotland.

She told STV News: “It was very strongly directed to me that I should withdraw.

“The use of block, in many terms that I’ve seen from the Scottish Greens, is very disappointing because I was made to withdraw.

“There has been a significant discrepancy in the advice given to two different individuals with the same visa status.”