No Transparency, No Loyalty: Brampton Candidates Accuse CPC of Rigged Nominations
In a dramatic turn of events ahead of the federal election, two longtime Conservative Party supporters in Brampton are alleging that the party bypassed a fair nomination process in favour of appointing candidates behind closed doors. Disillusioned by what they call a lack of transparency and fairness, Gurminder Gill and Babbu Sran announced they are parting ways with the Conservative Party and are now throwing their support behind the Liberal Party of Canada.
Gill and Sran, who submitted their nomination applications months ago to contest for the Conservative candidacy in Brampton North—Caledon and Brampton Centre, say they were never given a response or even an acknowledgment from the party. Instead, they learned that the party had appointed other candidates — Amandeep Judge and Taran Chahal — when the election was called.
“What’s the reason? Why is there no nomination or communication?” questioned Gill. “We were never told anything. It’s totally unfair after the work we’ve done for the party and the members we brought in.”
The two men, who have supported the Conservatives for over a decade, hosted an event in Brampton on Saturday to thank the hundreds of community members they had signed up as Conservative Party members. At the event, they encouraged supporters to reconsider their affiliations and support the Liberal candidates instead.
“Right now, transparency and democracy are done in the Conservative Party,” said Sran. “Backroom politics – it’s not good for anyone.”
While both Gill and Sran have made it clear that they are not seeking Liberal nominations, they said they are choosing to stand behind Ruby Sahota, the Liberal candidate for Brampton North—Caledon, and Amandeep Sodhi, the Liberal candidate for Brampton Centre.
A spokesperson from the Conservative campaign declined to explain why Gill and Sran were not approved to run but noted that “applicants must be honest in their application packages.” The party added that both Judge and Chahal “will make excellent representatives.”
According to Elections Canada, Judge and Chahal are the only confirmed Conservative candidates running in the respective Brampton ridings, while the Liberal Party of Canada has listed Sahota and Sodhi as their official candidates. No candidates have been announced by the NDP or Green Party for those ridings, and parties have until 2 p.m. ET on Monday to finalize nominations.
Political experts note that this situation is not uncommon. Dr. Lori Turnbull, a professor of politics at Dalhousie University, explained that while open nominations are promoted publicly, party leadership often reserves the right to handpick candidates to strengthen their chances of winning.
“In practice, parties are gatekeepers. They have the right to decide who carries the banner,” said Turnbull. “It ultimately comes down to who the party believes can win — and winning is the primary goal.”
As the election campaign intensifies, the fallout from this nomination controversy is likely to reverberate through Brampton’s political landscape, potentially shifting voter loyalties and reshaping local dynamics.
