CentreBC announces candidate for Abbotsford-Mission byelection
Published 4:39 pm Sunday, August 30, 2026
Another candidate has entered the fray in the Abbotsford-Mission byelection.
CentreBC announced Lakhwinder Jhaj as its candidate for the Sept. 26 byelection, joining Conservative Party of B.C. leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay and NDP candidate/former MLA Pam Alexis in the race.
Premier David Eby called the byelection on Saturday (Aug. 29), one week after outgoing Abbotsford-Mission MLA Reann Gasper resigned to make way for Findlay.
According to a news release on Sunday (Aug. 30), Jhaj is stepping forward because she believes the people of Abbotsford-Mission deserve a voice that “puts people and communities ahead of partisan agendas.”
“I am honoured to be the CentreBC candidate for Abbotsford-Mission,” Jhaj said in the news release. “I am running because I believe our community deserves a voice that listens, works hard and puts local priorities first. This is about bringing people together and making sure Abbotsford-Mission has a strong voice at the table.”
Jhaj is a longtime resident of the Fraser Valley who has also lived in Penticton.
In 2021, Jhaj appeared by video before Abbotsford council to request that a local street be named in memory of the 1914 Komagata Maru incident. In 2023, the city commemoratively renamed a section of South Fraser Way to Komagata Maru Way, in collaboration with the Descendants of the Komagata Maru Society, Khalsa Diwan Society and the South Asian Studies Institute.
Jhaj unsuccessfully sought the BC Liberals nomination for Abbotsford South in 2020. She also ran for the NDP in Abbotsford South in 2013 and before that, in the Boundary-Similkameen riding in 2009.
In the 2021 federal election, she was the Liberal Party of Canada candidate for the Skeena—Bulkley Valley riding and finished fourth with 7.7 per cent of the vote.
According to the Liberal Party of Canada website, Jhaj was on the Mission–Matsqui–Abbotsford Electoral District Association (EDA) board of directors as of November 2025.
CentreBC leader Mike Bernier said her nomination reflects community-based leadership. He said Jhaj is a “strong, community-minded candidate who understands that politics should be about serving people, listening to their concerns and getting things done.”
“The people of Abbotsford-Mission deserve a representative who will put their interests first. Lakhwinder brings energy, integrity and a commitment to building a better future for this community, and I am proud to have her representing CentreBC,” Bernier said.
CentreBC was founded in 2025 and is not represented in the legislature.
“The Abbotsford-Mission by-election is an opportunity for voters to choose a new kind of politics-one that is centred on people, not parties,” the news release reads.
Candidate nominations for the byelection close on Saturday (Sept. 5) at 1 p.m. Advance voting is slated for Sept. 18 to 23 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.
– With files from Black Press Media