Election candidate resigns over undisclosed drug conviction

Luv Datta had been selected as the council election candidate for Bromsgrove Central

A council election candidate has resigned after failing to disclose a conviction for supplying class A drugs.

Luv Datta had been selected as a Conservative candidate in the Bromsgrove District Council elections.

He told BBC Hereford & Worcester he had wanted to be a councillor to stop young people going down the wrong path.

A spokesperson for Bromsgrove Conservatives said Mr Datta's resignation had been accepted. Mr Datta will stand as an independent.

He had been selected to stand for Bromsgrove Central.

In a statement, the Conservative association said: "Mr Datta has accepted that he failed to disclose all relevant information in his application to stand as a Conservative candidate.

"He will no longer represent the Conservative Party in the forthcoming local elections."

The candidate will remain on ballot papers for the local election on Thursday 4 May as they had already been printed, the spokesperson said.

"I've made a severe mistake and I've paid my penance for it," Mr Datta said.

"I can't change what happened, but I can try to change others."

In a statement on Facebook, Sam Ammar, chairwoman at Bromsgrove Labour, said the local Conservative party had a duty to inform residents they no longer endorsed Mr Datta.

"They have yet to apologise to their postal voters, they have yet to apologise to residents who have a Conservative candidate option on their ballot and who is not in fact endorsed by their party," she added.

"They must mobilise their campaigners to go door knocking and leafleting, informing people that they are no longer endorsing the Conservative candidate on their ballot."