Greens candidate claims she was told to withdraw over student visa

A Scottish Green Party member says she was asked to stand down as a candidate because of her student visa status, despite another candidate in the same situation being allowed to run.

Sai Shraddha Suresh Viswanathan said she was "let down" by the party, alleging that she was asked to withdraw after officials became concerned that she couldn't serve the full term without a new visa.

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

Viswanathan, who is originally from India and is the current president of the National Union of Students (NUS) in Scotland, applied to be a candidate for the party in the North East of Scotland for the Holyrood election.

She took part in internal elections last year and was ranked third on the party's list. But she said during a phone call with a party official in July last year she was asked to withdraw as a candidate.

Viswanathan told BBC Scotland News she was advised that the party had legal advice suggesting that she wouldn't be able to take up a position as an MSP, as she couldn't guarantee having the right to stay in Scotland throughout her term.

But it appears that Manivannan was told that they could run as a candidate despite similar visa circumstances.

Viswanathan said she was "thrilled" that so many fellow Greens had been elected, but that having to withdraw had taken "a significant toll on [her] health and well-being."

In a statement she said she had been "let down by the internal selection process of the Scottish Greens Party.

The statement said: "Ultimately, there has been a discrepancy in how different candidates have been advised by the party.

"Immigration is a sensitive subject for many migrants like myself who should be allowed to take part in the election process, as the latest election results have shown us."

The Scottish Greens had one MSP elected in the North East region, meaning Viswanathan wouldn't have been elected.

Changes to the law in 2024 allowed those without a permanent right to stay in the UK to stand in Scottish Parliament elections.

If a candidate was to lose the right to stay in the UK they would be disqualified from continuing as an MSP.

The Scottish Greens have pledged to support newly-elected Manivannan as they now look to apply for a graduate visa to ensure they can stay in Scotland.

A Scottish Green Party spokesperson told BBC Scotland News "Candidates are responsible for ensuring they meet all legal and eligibility requirements before standing for election, including any matters relating to their own visa status.

"We cannot comment on individual candidates or internal selection processes, but we can confirm that nobody has been blocked from standing for the Scottish Greens because of their visa status.

"Overall, the party is satisfied that it has acted appropriately and provided relevant guidance to all candidates, where required.

"The Scottish Greens are proud to see our biggest ever cohort of MSPs elected, who represent a diverse range of communities including New Scots, and we look forward to getting to work delivering the progressive platform on which they were elected."

Overall, the Scottish Greens had 15 MSPs elected to Holyrood.