3 Indian-origin candidates for Canadian PM and Liberal Party leadership knocked out

Three Indian-origin candidates, both at the national and at the provincial level, have been knocked out of the leadership race in Canada’s Liberal Party, in just a spate of few weeks.

The development has fuelled speculations of the exclusion of Indian heritage people in the leadership race, while the Liberal Party would point out that these disqualifications adhered to established rules.

At the national level, two candidates, Ruby Dhalla and Chandra Arya, have been knocked out of the race, while Viresh Bansal has been suspended as Ontario Liberal Candidate for Oshawa.

After Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s announcement in January 2025, that he would step down, the Liberal Party, at the national level, launched a leadership contest. The winner of the said contest will automatically become Canada’s next premier until the next federal election.

Former MP Ruby Dhalla was disqualified over serious violations, something she rejected.

Slamming the decision, Ruby said that she will not allow her campaign to be tarred with baseless allegations of foreign interference because of her Indian heritage and being the daughter of an immigrant.

In a statement, Liberal Party of Canada National Director Azam Ishmael said that she (Ruby) was in breach of 10 violations that include concerns about alleged violations of the Canada Election Act, certain other election finance matters, nondisclosure of material facts, and inaccurate financial reporting.

Another candidate of Indian-origin Chandra Arya, was rejected earlier, leading him to question the process.

Chandra said that he was informed by the Liberal Party of Canada that he will not be permitted to enter the leadership race.

He further said that the decision raises serious questions about the legitimacy of the leadership race and legitimacy of the next Canadian Prime Minister.

Meanwhile, Viresh Bansal has been disqualified, at the provincial level, as the Ontario Liberal Party candidate for Oshawa. The elections for which will be held next week, on February 27.

Bansal was disqualified after his 2023 post resurfaced. He, in the post, had made derogatory comments on NDP leader Jagmeet Singh and Justin Trudeau.