SHAHID Malik was carried shoulder high by his jubilant supporters after Labour held Dewsbury.
The new MP polled 15,807 and takes the reins from retiring Ann Taylor, but he had to hold off a strong Conservative campaign to win the seat.
Outside Dewsbury Town Hall, after the result was announced, his supporters greeted him with joy and hoisted him on to their shoulders.
Tory candidate Sayeeda Warsi was near to tears as the results were revealed at 2.15am. Outside a cheer went up as the news was relayed to a 150-strong crowd of Labour supporters.
The British National Party's David Exley also polled well with 5,066 voters opting for the far right party.
A triumphant Mr Malik pledged to tackle the area's problems head on and make his voice heard in Westminster.
"I will knock on every door on the corridors of power to make the voice of the people of Dewsbury heard," he said. "I will be spending time in the constituency and listening to what the people want and what the problems are.
"I am not going to come in now and say `This is what we need to do'. I will be carrying out a listening campaign and then acting on what the people tell me."
Mrs Warsi's mood visibly worsened as it became clear her tireless campaign had not been enough, but she said she had enjoyed the fight in her home town.
Third-placed Kingsley Hill, of the Liberal Democrats, warned Mr Malik he would be watching. "Although this is not the result I had hoped for, I will be watching this young man and making sure he is doing all he can for Dewsbury," he said.
Mr Exley was pleased with the progress of the BNP and said: "We are moving forward, we have a strong base here."
