By Mata Press Service

For the past three years, Aman Singh has been wondering what he could have done better after coming short in the 2017 Richmond-Queensborough election race by a mere 134 votes.

“I lost an opportunity to bring the voices of my neighbours and the people who live in the community directly to the government table…it’s not going to happen this time around,” said the 52-year-old human rights lawyer, who is running again as the NDP candidate in the hotly contested riding.

The Richmond-Queensborough election race will be a rematch between Singh and the incumbent MLA Jas Johal, who is running for re-election for the BC Liberals. Johal beat Singh by only 134 votes in the 2017 election, just under two percent of the vote.

Johal also spent more than four times on his 2017 campaign compared to Singh – Johal’s expenses during and before the election period were  $171,555 while Singh spent $42,752 according to the Election Financing Reports.

Political analysts predict the riding is one of 14 expected to dictate whether the BC NDP or BC Liberals win a majority, or if we end up in another minority parliament after election day on October 24.

Given that John Horgan’s popularity is high based on his government’s handling of the COVID-19 crisis and the fact that he wants to rule without an NDP-Green power-sharing agreement, Singh has a better shot at the winning the race.

“The difference in the last election was the green vote which split the results…It is unlikely go that way this time around,” said a Victoria-based political pundit.

“Johal may be the star candidate for Liberals but Aman Singh is the local candidate, who has lived in Richmond for over two decades…that is going to be a telling factor in their campaigns.”

Whatever, the outcome, the fight for the riding is expected to be “Singh-sational” as both the leading candidates have ancestral roots in Punjab and Sikhism.

If Singh is elected, he would become the first turbaned Sikh in the provincial legislature. Turbans for Sikhs are a symbol of their religion and traditions but many have voluntarily abandoned wearing this article of faith for personal or professional reasons.

“That would mean the world to me, especially since its almost three-quarters of a century since Sikhs were given the right to vote in British Columbia," Singh said.

“But there is so much more at stake this election and we must keep BC moving forward,” he said.

 “The BC Liberals just aren’t working for the middle class. They only lookout for those at the top. That’s why I’m proud to join Team Horgan to build a better future for all of us.”

“As a lawyer, I have represented and fought for the underdogs in court

“It’s time for the residents of Richmond-Queensborough to have a real voice--someone who looks out for working people.”

Singh reiterated the importance of having a strong advocate in government for the residents of Richmond.

“Here in Richmond, I meet families who are working hard and they need a government who listens to them. For sixteen years cuts to education and health care impacted our community. Now more than ever we need to keep moving forward, investing in childcare and education. Working families can’t afford to go back to the BC Liberals.”

Singh is also a prominent face in the diverse makeup of the NDP’s provincial slate of 87 candidates.

Over a majority, (53%) of the candidates are women, representing the highest number of women candidates ever to run for a party in BC. A quarter of the candidates are persons of colour, there are five Indigenous candidates, three people living with disabilities, six candidates from the LGBTQ community and four youth running for the BC NDP.

“I could not be more proud of our BC NDP team that represents the breadth of British Columbia in all its forms. I’m excited for our team to bring their ideas and experiences together to serve the people of this beautiful province,” said Premier John Horgan.

Born in India and raised in Hong Kong,  Singh and his family moved to Richmond when he was 18. He studied Anthropology and Physics at the University of California in Berkeley, and obtained his Law degree from the University of Victoria.

His law practice focuses in the areas of civil, human rights law as it intersects with criminal and international law.

The socially conscious small business owner has made it a priority to donate his time to people and organizations close to his heart, working closely with Indigenous groups, national and international non-governmental organizations.

“There needs to be a balance that must be met in a society for economic prosperity to be genuine, sustainable, and socially responsible,” said Singh, who also speaks Cantonese, Punjabi and Hindi.

Singh’s diverse background and the ability to converse in multiple languages reflect the constituents in the 92 square kilometres riding of Richmond-Queensborough.

The riding contains farms in the centre, suburbs in its west and east, new immigrant families in some areas and long-established communities in others and more major bridges and tunnels — the Knight, Queensborough, Oak and Alex Fraser Bridges, along with the Massey Tunnel — than anywhere else in B.C.

According to a constituency profile, each of the 3,550 households in the riding has about 3.1 people which is the fifth-highest in B.C.

Nominated candidates for the riding of Richmond-Queensborough 2020

BC Liberals: Jas Johal

BC NDP: Aman Singh

BC Green Party: Earl Einarson

Conservative: Kay Hale

2017 final election results

Jas Johal (BC Liberals): 8,218

Aman Singh (BC NDP): 8,084

Michael Wolfe (BC Greens): 2,524

Kay Hale (BC Conservatives): 694

Lawrence Chen (New Republicans): 318