Appadurai, Is Who The People Of B.C Wanted, But The NDP Executives Gave Them Eby

With the disqualification of his only rival, David Eby becomes British Columbia’s new premier by acclimation

 “This is not how any of us expected this to end.” said David Eby

Due to ongoing health reasons, B.C Premier Jon Horgan immediately stepped down from his role, triggering a leadership race for the top bureaucrat job within the province. 

What was supposed to be a battle between two accomplished candidates, Eby, former Attorney General and Anjali Appadurai, a climate and social justice advocate, but her disqualification from the race by the B.C executives has left many of her supporters upset, about the decision.

David Eby has been crowned the next premier of British Columbia by the B.C. NDP executive, on allegations that Appadurai worked with Dogwood, an environmental organization, to conduct membership drives on her behalf, which was in violation of the party rules to have help from third parties. However, Dogwood denied any wrongdoing.  

Appadurai stated that N.D.P changed the rules mid-campaign and applied them retroactively to benefit her opponent David Eby. Had Appadurai not been disqualified and the leadership campaign brought to a vote, she would have been elected B.C’s new premier based on the number of new supporters she brought into the party.

It is also standard practice for leadership candidates to court organizations with a large membership base for support. According to Appadurai, the newly minted premier had the support of many of the cabinet members, but she had the support of over 5,000 new members of the party, which was enough to win the race.

“In 25 days, my underdog campaign, rooted in social movements and the support of thousands of everyday people across the province, brought in many more memberships than my front-runner opponent. Said, Anjali Appadurai

Although the loss devastates Appadurai and her thousands of supporters, she does not plan to leave the party. The B.C N.D.P. party now has a real problem. With the Appadurai removal, Eby’s leadership will have an asterisk next to his name.

The executive decision is seen by many as not wanting a young 32-year-old vibrant climate activist at the helm of the province. Anjali Appadurai, the Premier in the waiting or future Member of Parliament, just needs to continue doing what she has always done, advocate for the people of B.C. Her political opportunities are endless as she has now garnered attention on the national stage.

As for the B.C N.D.P, they will undoubtedly be in damage control for the unforeseeable future. 

Image source Appadurai campaign