Liberal Amarjeet Sohi projected to lose Edmonton Southeast riding

Madeline Smith · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 29, 2025 12:09 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

Amarjeet Sohi is expected to instrumentality to Edmonton metropolis hallway to decorativeness his clip arsenic mayor, with projections indicating his bid to instrumentality to national authorities failed connected Monday.

Nearly a decennary aft his palmy tally for the Liberals, and clip arsenic a furniture curate nether erstwhile premier curate Justin Trudeau, Sohi is expected to suffer the recently redrawn riding of Edmonton Southeast to Conservative Jagsharan Singh Mahal.

It's a stroke to the Liberal Party, which hoped to prime up respective seats successful Alberta, including Sohi's.

The Liberals are projected to triumph a 4th consecutive government.

Liberal Leader Mark Carney made 1 of his last appearances of the federal predetermination run successful Edmonton, stopping for a rally extracurricular Sohi's office connected Sunday.

Shortly earlier 10 p.m. Monday, Sohi was trailing Conservative Jagsharan Singh Mahal, with 38 per cent of the ballot to astir 54 per cent for Mahal.

After months of speculation astir whether he'd question re-election arsenic mayor, erstwhile Sohi launched his national candidacy successful March, helium said it meant helium wouldn't beryllium backmost for this fall's municipal race. But helium would instrumentality to mayoral duties for the remainder of his word successful the lawsuit of a loss.

Sohi started an unpaid permission of lack from metropolis assembly successful March erstwhile helium announced his national run. Councillors person been rotating done lawman politician duties ever since.

Edmonton's municipal predetermination is acceptable for Oct. 20.

Ward O-day'min Coun. Anne Stevenson, the existent lawman mayor, said Monday that she'll beryllium disappointed to spot Sohi exit municipal bureau aboriginal this year.

"Amarjeet is the slightest self-serving idiosyncratic that I deliberation I've ever met and had the privilege to enactment with," she said.

"I deliberation Amarjeet's benignant of leadership, the kindness, the humility helium brings to the relation is thing that this state and this satellite needs much of close now."

Unsuccessful effort at second circular successful national politics

Sohi successfully jumped from assembly chambers to the House of Commons successful 2015, aft 8 years arsenic an Edmonton metropolis councillor.

At the time, helium narrowly defeated Conservative Tim Uppal by less than 100 votes successful the erstwhile riding of Edmonton Mill Woods, going connected to service arsenic curate of earthy resources and curate of infrastructure.

Monday's nonaccomplishment is Sohi's 2nd national decision — successful 2019, Uppal came backmost to decision him, and Sohi returned to the municipal realm, winning Edmonton's mayoral contention successful 2021.

This national election, an electoral organisation divided parts of the aged Mill Woods riding, putting Sohi up against Mahal, alternatively of his erstwhile rival, Uppal, who's moving for the Conservatives successful the caller Edmonton Gateway riding.

Election effect means Sohi returns to mayor's chair

Sohi's clip arsenic politician has sometimes been rocky, with high-profile debates implicit transgression and information connected nationalist transit and successful halfway neighbourhoods, arsenic good arsenic contentious discussions astir the city's constabulary budget.

He's besides led assembly done caller conflicts with the provincial authorities implicit provincial backing for infrastructure, societal enactment programs and housing.

And helium was astatine Edmonton metropolis hallway the time an equipped gunman changeable bullets and threw Molotov cocktails wrong the gathering connected a January greeting successful 2024. It was an unprecedented lawsuit that prompted caller discussions astir information for metropolis workers and elected officials, and led to a information overhaul successful the nationalist building.

Stevenson said the past assembly word hasn't been casual to navigate, but with Sohi's last days arsenic politician inactive ahead, she sees him having a affirmative impact, from steering helium metropolis done the extremity of the pandemic to handling economical challenges.

"Not having him successful the mayoral relation oregon successful a national presumption is decidedly a loss, but I besides cognize he's the benignant of idiosyncratic that volition find a mode to lend successful immoderate relation that mightiness beryllium successful the future."