BC United candidate Amrit Pal Singh Dhot has withdrawn from this fall’s provincial election and says he is backing BC NDP incumbent Ravi Kahlon’s bid for re-election in Delta North.
But Dhot says his support for Kahlon does not extend to the BC NDP or its leader, David Eby, alleging a statement saying otherwise was not written by him and was released without his approval.
The status of Dhot’s candidacy had been up in the air since BC United (formerly BC Liberal Party) leader Kevin Falcon announced on Aug. 28 he was suspending the party’s election campaign and throwing his support behind John Rustad and the Conservative Party of BC, in the hopes of avoiding a vote split that could hand the election to the BC NDP.
BC United partially reversed course 10 days later, saying it would run “a select number of candidates” in order to keep the party name alive.
The question of whether Dhot would run as an independent, take the place of the already-announced Conservative candidate, or drop out the race was answered Monday morning (Sept. 9) when BC NDP announced Dhot’s endorsement of the party, Eby and Kahlon’s campaign to serve a third term as MLA in Delta North.
The press release included a 166-word statement attributed to Dhot that said, in part, that the election "is now between David Eby and [Conservative Party of BC leader] John Rustad," and that Eby and the NDP were the only party left in the race that matches his values.
However, late Monday night, Dhot sent the North Delta Reporter a statement written in the third person clarifying his position and alleging that morning's release was written by BC NDP campaign personnel and released without his "formal approval."
"Following a discussion with incumbent MLA Ravi Kahlon and his team over the weekend, Dhot emphasized that he will not be endorsing any political party or leader in the current election," Dhot wrote.
Dhot alleges that Kahlon and his team had provided him with a pre-drafted statement, which he did not approve. Instead, Dhot says he communicated his own statement directly to Kahlon and his manager that emphasized his support for Kahlon as a local resident of North Delta without endorsing any party or leader.
Dhot says he reiterated through his statement given to Kahlon's team that he "does not endorse the BC NDP or Premier David Eby, but supports a candidate who understands and resides in the North Delta community," according to his statement to the Reporter.
However, Dhot says he was informed by Kahlon Monday morning that the pre-drafted press release had been distributed to media before Dhot's submitted statement had been shared.
Dhot says this was done without his express approval.
In an emailed response to the Reporter's inquiries, BC NDP provincial director Heather Stoutenburg said the party received and reconfirmed, in writing, Dhot’s approval for the statement that went into Monday morning's press release.
"If he later decided to modify the way in which he wanted to express support for Ravi Kahlon, that is entirely his right," Stoutenburg said.
As a longtime BC Liberal (now BC United) Party supporter, Dhot said his views do not align with those of Kahlon, Eby or the BC NDP, but that he "has respect for Kahlon solely because he is the only candidate running to represent the riding [in] which he is a resident.
"Dhot has consistently expressed his opposition to parachute politicians those who run for office in areas outside their home community solely to seek election. He believes that such candidates lack a genuine commitment to serving the community," he wrote in his statement to the Reporter, adding the issues Delta North faces require representatives who have firsthand experience with local challenges.
Dhot said that, in his statement provided to the NDP, he made clear that he "cannot in good faith" support BC Conservative Raj Veauli's candidacy due to Veauli's "lack of residency and community ties to the Delta North riding," in contrast to Kahlon who lives in the riding and "has long been engaged with the local community."
[Editor's note: Freedom Party of BC's candidate for Delta North, Manqoosh Khan, has confirmed that he also lives in North Delta. The Reporter has reached out to Veauli and the Conservative Party of BC to ask about his community of residence, but has not yet heard back.]
In his statement to the Reporter, Dhot said that, in light of recent developments surrounding his former party, he decided to withdraw from the race so he could focus on his family and community service.
He urged all North Deltans to make informed decisions at the polls to ensure that their elected representative "genuinely understands and addresses the unique concerns of Delta North residents, rather than being a parachute politician who lacks local ties."
With Dhot out of the race, Kahlon, Veauli and Khan remain the only three candidates vying for North Delta's seat in the Legislature. All three are currently registered candidates with Elections BC.
Candidate nominations with Elections BC close at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 28.
Meanwhile, BC United MLA Ian Paton announced last week he would now be running for re-election in Delta South under the BC Conservative banner. Until that day (Sept. 3), the Conservatives had not announced a candidate in the riding.
To date, the only opposition to Paton's re-election bid is transportation advocate Jason McCormick, running with the BC NDP.
Voting day is Saturday, Oct. 19.
