According to unofficial results, former Toronto District School Board (TDSB) trustee Parthi Kandavel has won the Scarborough Southwest municipal byelection with a resounding victory.
Kandavel received a total of 4,641 votes when all polls closed, creating a large lead. Community advocate Kevin Rupasinghe came in second with 3,854 votes, and Anna Sidiropoulos came in third with 2,275 votes.
Kandavel's election victory puts her in line to take the Ward 20 seat left empty when previous councillor Gary Crawford resigned in July to run in a Scarborough-Guildwood provincial byelection.
Kandavel, a former TDSB trustee from 2014 to 2022, ran for councillor last year and finished second to Crawford. His top concerns include building affordable housing, increasing bus frequency, improving local services, and protecting the Scarborough Bluffs.
The municipal byelection saw a crowded field, with 23 candidates vying for the council seat. Notably, 4,374 eligible voters cast early ballots over the weekend.
The city clerk is expected to certify official election results next week, but unofficial results show Parthi Kandavel as the winner with 27 percent of the vote. Kandavel is running for the position for the second time, having finished second to incumbent Gary Crawford in the previous municipal election.
Kandavel's platform stressed major problems such as affordable housing, transit upgrades, more safety measures, and improved social services. During his service as a TDSB trustee, he advocated for equality initiatives such as revamping elite arts school admission processes to remove biases favoring wealthy, white kids and introducing fair and accurate learning resources in schools.
While the results are unofficial until confirmed, Kandavel's victory suggests a shift in Ward 20 representation, departing from the conservative worldview of former councillor Crawford.
