A NORTH LANARKSHIRE councillor has launched his bid to cross the regional boundary and enter Holyrood.

Danish Ashraf was elected to represent Cumbernauld North in 2017.

Now the optometrist is seeking selection to become the SNP’s candidate for South Lanarkshire town East Kilbride as its current MSP Linda Fabiani steps down.

Fabiani, the Deputy Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament, has been an MSP since 1999 and will turn 61 next year.

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She said her age meant she “cannot make another five-year commitment” and she is “happy to step aside and let others take up the challenge and to deliver independence”.

Announcing his bid for selection in a slick promotional video posted on social media, Ashraf said he is “already working with MSPs right across Lanarkshire” and it has been his “greatest honour to represent and serve my community at the council”.

He went on: “I now want to use that experience to deliver for East Kilbride.”

Ashraf’s announcement makes him the second person to declare an interest in the area, following Grant Costello, who is digital media manager for the SNP at Westminster. He claimed his web skills and local knowledge make him the “perfect candidate” for 2021.