Jagmeet Singh loses, Anita Anand wins: How Indian-origin candidates fared in Canada elections

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is set to continue in office after the Liberal Party held on to power in Monday’s federal election.

Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre admitted defeat to the Liberals and said his party would hold the minority government to account.

Jagmeet Singh, who was born to Indian immigrants from Punjab, stepped down as leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP) after losing his own seat. His party is expected to be left with fewer than ten seats.

Catch live updates from  Canada election results  here

The Indian-Canadian community remains a key voting group, with over 65 candidates of Indian origin contesting for seats in the House of Commons.

We take a look at how some Indian-origin candidates have fared in the federal election:

1. Jagmeet Singh (NDP)

In a contest largely focused on who would best protect Canadian sovereignty from the threat posed by US President Donald Trump, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh’s campaign struggled to gain any momentum.

ALSO READ | Explained: The downfall of Canada’s once kingmaker Jagmeet Singh

He lost his Burnaby Central seat to Wade Chang of the Liberal Party. While Singh secured around 18.1 per cent of the vote, Chang received 42.1 per cent, and Conservative candidate James Yan took 38.7 per cent of the vote share.

Singh congratulated the Liberal Party and Prime Minister Carney on their win.

He said that Carney would “represent all Canadians and protect our country and its sovereignty from the threats of Donald Trump.”

He grew up in Scarborough, St. John’s, and Windsor, with parents who immigrated to Canada. Notably, Singh was bullied in school and faced racism. These experiences fuelled his drive for justice and fairness.

2. Amarjeet Sohi (Liberal Party)

In Edmonton Southeast, Liberal candidate Amarjeet Sohi lost to the Conservative Party’s Jagsharan Singh Mahal.

Mahal received 53.6 per cent of the vote, while Sohi secured 38.3 per cent.

“Yes, this is not the result we expected, but this is the result we accept,” he told his supporters on election night.

Sohi had been serving as Edmonton’s mayor since 2021. He took an unpaid leave from the city council when he decided to run for the federal election. He had promised to return to his mayoral role if he lost.

Sohi was born in a village near Punjab’s Sangrur in 1964.

3. Anita Anand (Liberal Party)

Liberal candidate Anita Anand has won the Oakville East seat with a vote share of 50.7 per cent.

She defeated Conservative candidate Ron Chhinzer, who received 45.1 per cent of the vote, securing a third consecutive term in Ottawa after winning the Oakville riding in 2019 and 2021.

Anita Anand is currently the Minister of Innovation, Science, and Industry.

She was born and raised in rural Nova Scotia and moved to Ontario in 1985. Both of her parents were physicians.

Her father’s family comes from Chennai in Tamil Nadu, while her mother is from a small town in Punjab.

Anita has held several important roles, including Minister of Public Services and Procurement, Minister of National Defence, and President of the Treasury Board.

4. Sukh Dhaliwal (Liberal Party)

In Surrey Newton, Liberal candidate Sukh Dhaliwal is leading with 49.2 per cent of the vote, ahead of Conservative candidate Harjit Singh Gill, who holds 44.1 per cent.

Dhaliwal has been a Member of Parliament for Surrey-Newton since his first victory in 2015, followed by wins in 2019 and 2021.

He is currently the Chair of the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration and has served on several other parliamentary committees, including those for International Trade, Transportation, Infrastructure and Communities, and Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics.

5. Jayesh Brahmbhatt (People’s Party of Canada)

In the Brampton-Chinguacousy Park constituency, People’s Party candidate Jayesh Brahmbhatt was defeated by Liberal candidate Shafqat Ali.

Ali secured 48.7 per cent of the vote, followed by Conservative candidate Tim Iqbal with 44.5 per cent. NDP candidate Teresa Yeh received 2.6 per cent, while Brahmbhatt finished fourth.

Brahmbhatt, a civil engineer turned real estate developer, moved to Canada from Gujarat in 2001.

For Brahmbhatt, politics is not only about ideologies. “Parties are now identifying Indians as an important community in politics, and sub-groups such as Gujaratis are making the most of this opportunity to be represented and be heard,” he said earlier.

6. Kamal Khera (Liberal Party)

In the Brampton West constituency, Liberal candidate Kamal Khera lost to the Conservative Party’s Amarjeet Gill.

Gill secured 50 per cent of the vote, while Khera received 47.5 per cent.

Born in Delhi, she is one of the youngest women ever elected to Canada’s parliament. She was first elected as the MP in 2015 for Brampton West.

She moved to Canada during her school years and later graduated from York University in Toronto with a Bachelor of Science degree.

Notably, Khera is currently the Minister of Health.

7. Shuv Majumdar (Conservative Party)

Conservative candidate Shuv Majumdar won the Calgary Heritage seat, defeating Liberal candidate Scott Arnott by nearly 20,000 votes.

Majumdar secured 61.7 per cent of the vote, while Arnott received 34.4 per cent.

Born in Calgary to Indian immigrants, Majumdar spent time working in both Iraq and Afghanistan in the early 2000s.

He is known for his expertise in foreign policy and national security. Majumdar previously worked in the office of Stephen Harper when he was Prime Minister and also served as an adviser in the office of Canada’s Foreign Minister during the Harper government.

8. Priti Obhrai Martin (Liberal Party)

In the Calgary East constituency, Liberal candidate Priti Obhrai Martin lost to Conservative candidate Jasraj Hallan.

Hallan received 60.6 per cent of the vote, while Obhrai Martin secured 31.4 per cent.

Priti is the daughter of Deepak Obhrai, the first Hindu to be elected to the House of Commons.

Notably, Deepak won seven consecutive elections and served as an MP until his death in August 2019.

Priti was born in Arusha, Tanzania, and moved to Canada at the age of three. She has experience in international trade, community work, and the non-profit sector.