Ballia celebrates as 'native' Pravind Jugnauth takes oath as Mauritius PM

The election of Pravind Jugnauth as Mauritius prime minister has created a buzz in the district's Rasra area, from where his ancestors are said to have migrated to the island-nation.

Congratulatory messages are being exchanged over social media, celebrating the results of the elections last week in far-off Mauritius.

Incumbent Jugnauth took oath on Tuesday after the elections which consolidated the grip of his Morisian Alliance on parliament.

Rasra's sub divisional magistrate Vipin Kumar Jain said it has been established that Jugnauth's ancestors hailed from the area, but the exact village is yet to be pinpointed.

"Four people in Rasra have claimed that he belongs to their family," the SDM said.

Rasra MLA Uma Shankar Singh expressed happiness over Jugnauth's success and said people in the area are proud of his achievements.

"The central and state governments should make all-out efforts to find Jugnauth's village, he said, accusing them of not doing enough.

Jugnauth, 57, took over from his father in 2017 without going through a vote, but his centre-right coalition scored a decisive in the November 7 elections.

Months ago, a diplomat from Mauritius visited Rasra, reportedly in a bid to trace Jugnauth's ancestors.

Indian-origin people constitute nearly 70 per cent of the population of Mauritius. Their ancestors were sent there as indentured labourers during the British rule.