Toronto: Following the loss in support from the community during the April 2025 Federal election, the opposition Conservative Party has started to reach out to the large Hindu population in Canada, and among the first measures has been the elevation of a representative to a national governance role.
Dheeraj Jha, resident of the town of Hamilton in Ontario, was elected to the National Council of the Conservative Party during its recent convention in Calgary, Alberta.
Jha, who is originally from Madhubani in Bihar, has a background in engineering, and “Dheeraj brings a blend of technical expertise, public policy training, and on-the-ground political experience to the position”, a release stated.
Jha is among the 20 members of the newly elected National Council, which is responsible to the party members and addresses matters like selection of candidates for Federal elections.
Jha was earlier a parliamentary staffer to a Conservative MP and has the experience of having worked on multiple party campaigns in the province.
The community organisation Hindu Canadian Foundation (HCF) said that Jha’s election “marks an important moment for representation within Canada’s political landscape”.
“As the first Hindu to serve in this national governance role, he brings experience and a deep commitment to community engagement. His journey reflects the values of hard work, integrity, and public service that resonate strongly with Hindu Canadians,” HCF’s president Arunesh Giri stated.
According to Canadian media reports at the time, the Conservatives had alienated a large section of the larger Indo-Canadian community, particularly in the battleground Greater Toronto Area (GTA), with its candidate selection. That resulted in the loss of multiple seats during the Federal election, including some where community members denied nomination ran as independents leading to wins for the ruling Liberal Party.
A senior Conservative leader told the Hindustan Times that following a review of the results, the party had begun the process of rebuilding bridges with the Hindu community. “There will be change. They have understood the problem,” the leader, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said.
Despite enjoying a 20-point lead till the end of 2024, the opposition party was unable to succeed in the Federal election, suffering a shock defeat to the incumbents, with Mark Carney returning as Prime Minister, though at the head of another minority government. While Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre easily survived a leadership review with the vast majority of members backing him, he will face the challenge of expanding the party’s footprint among groups like Hindus, to have a chance of coming to power in Ottawa.