Less than a month after winning what some called “a close” nomination battle, the Conservative Party of Canada has stripped Mark King of the chance to run in the Oct. 21 federal election.

King said Wednesday afternoon he had received an e-mail from the national party Wednesday saying it had “given the candidacy to Jordy Carr.”

King defeated Carr in the nomination meeting.

King did not go into details on the decision, but said the message from the party “was damaging to me personally.”

In a release issued late in the day, King said he had been “extensively vetted and approved by the Conservative Party” before the June 17 nomination meeting.

“I am extremely disappointed that the Conservative Party cannot get its act together,” King said.

“I was vetted and approved by both our local riding association and the Conservative Party itself. I then won the membership vote by a healthy margin … and then silence from both local and national party officials.”

In a statement, King said it “seems that unelected Conservative Party insiders know what is better for the people of Nipissing-Timiskaming.”

The statement said Carr, the niece of former Ontario premier Mike Harris, “had solicited Harris’ support during her unsuccessful campaign against Mark King. In a public email to local Conservative Party membership, Harris stated his support for his relative.”

“But even that did not come close to getting her the support she needed to win the nomination” said King.

He said he and his campaign team were unaware an appeal had been launched at the local level to the National Conservative Selection Committee.

It was this body which overturned King’s nomination.

He said he has received no official documentation of the appeal

“It was almost accidental that I discovered that I had actually been disqualified! “

“I received notice of this on Friday June 28th at 4 p.m. And they gave me only 24 hours to appeal the ruling to the National Council, but I wasn’t sure at all what supposed egregious act I had committed.”

He said he submitted a response to the notice and was informed July 3 that the appeal had been upheld.

Close to 200 people cast ballots at the nomination meeting at the Davedi Club in the battle between the two-term member of North Bay council and the small business owner and councillor in the Municipality of Callander.

Carr was elected to Callander council in the October municipal elections for her first term.

In a statement Wednesday, Cory Hann, director of communications for the party said it is important to know the rules for the nomination “were equally applied to all candidates, and all candidates followed the rules to ensure an even playing field.

“Following the closure of the nomination process in Nipissing—Timiskaming, the candidacy of Mark King was disallowed, and after National Council review, that disallowance was upheld.”

Hann said rules and procedures “are clear – we apply these equally to all candidates in all ridings.”

He said reasons for disallowing King’s nomination will not be provided.

King said the move shows “all is not well with the Conservative Party and its undemocratic ways (which) have split the party locally.”

Carr was not available for comment.