Amarjeet Sohi announced he will be returning to his role as Edmonton’s mayor after a failed bid to re-enter federal politics as a Liberal candidate in the federal election.
Sohi resumed his mayoral responsibilities, announcing on Friday that his commitment to the community was “unwavering” despite attempting to launch himself back into Parliament.
Conservative candidate and 12-year lawyer Jagharan Singh Mahal won the riding by 6,754 votes or 52.8 per cent of the vote. Sohi placed second with 38.7 per cent, while NDP Harpreet Grewal only garnered 5.3 per cent support.
Sohi won as a Liberal candidate for Edmonton Mill Woods in the 2015 election by 92 votes against now-Conservative veteran MP Tim Uppal. He subsequently lost to Uppal in 2019. Sohi didn’t run in the 2021 election, but Uppal was still victorious.
Tim Cartmell, an Edmonton city councillor and a candidate to become mayor in the October municipal election slammed Sohi for not resigning from his role altll together before running when it was first announced.
“Given that Mayor Sohi is no longer interested in City matters, the responsible decision would have been to resign. It would have allowed Edmonton City Council to take the necessary contingency actions and focus on the best needs of the City until the City election in October,” he said in March when the election was just announced. “Instead, we are in an odd state of limbo, waiting for the drama of federal politics to run its course.”
Uppal wasn’t the candidate for the riding this year, instead running and winning in Edmonton Gateway.
Sohi announced that he would be returning to his duties as mayor but would not seek re-election in the October municipal election.
“My commitment to our community is unwavering. I will continue to serve our community in every way I can,” he said in the statement. “Please note that I have transitioned back to my role as Mayor, and my social media platforms will be transitioning as well.”
Sohi went on an unpaid leave as Edmonton’s mayor to run his candidacy under the Carney Liberal banner.
At the time, Sohi had not announced that he would not seek re-election in the Edmonton municipal election.
Only two Edmonton ridings went to left-wing parties. Edmonton Centre went to the Liberals with 44.3 per cent of the vote, while Edmonton Strathcona went to the incumbent Heather McPherson with 46.8 per cent of the vote.
The only other riding not to elect a Conservative MP in Alberta was Calgary Confederation, with the Liberal candidate Corey Hogan winning by 1,248 votes.