Ontario Progressive Conservative leader Doug Ford was in the city Friday to officially finish off the party’s Brampton roster, appointing the last local candidate to run in the upcoming election on June 7.
Ripudaman Dhillon, who will run in Brampton North, joins Prabmeet Sarkaria (Brampton South), Simmer Sandhu (Brampton East) Amarjot Singh Sandhu (Brampton West) and Harjit Jaswal (Brampton Centre).
Ford held a rally in Brampton Friday where he made the announcement about Dhillon’s candidacy.
“I congratulate Ripudaman Dhillon on his nomination as the Ontario PC Party Candidate for Brampton North. Ripudaman is a welcomed addition to our strong and diverse PC team,” Ford said in a statement. “I thank Ripudaman for his continued involvement in the Ontario PC Party. Ripudaman will be a dedicated, hardworking and committed representative for the people of Brampton North, and will be a strong voice for the people.”
The appointment of PC candidates in Brampton has come with some public criticism and controversy. Last week Brampton Centre candidate Harjit Jaswal won the nomination after notable party member Nick Gahunia was unexpectedly disqualified from the race right before the vote.
Jaswal’s win came on the heels of complaints from party members after a number of candidates in ridings across the province were appointed without any local vote or discussion.
The PCs also raised eyebrows in Brampton after outspoken Toronto city councillor Giorgio Mammoliti announced he would be running for the nomination in Brampton Centre at the request of Ford. The public backlash against Mammoliti, who has no known connections to Brampton, was swift. Mammoliti announced a short time after that he would be stepping back to focus on his current constituents in Toronto.
Dhillon will go up against Liberal Minister of the Status of Women Harinder Malhi in the Brampton North riding (formerly Brampton—Springdale), which has remained a Liberal stronghold since its creation in 2007.
To see more coverage of the Ontario General Election visit www.bramptonist.com/election.
Feature Image — @ripudhillon_bn on Twitter