An NDP candidate in Mississauga-Erindale who placed third in the 2008 election and was planning to try again has instead packed it in and is supporting the Conservatives.

The New Democrats had to scramble to find a new candidate after Mustafa Rizvi indicated he was switching allegiances.

“I’ve resigned from the party as a member and a candidate,” Rizvi told the Mississauga News. “I want to support the Prime Minister in his efforts to get a majority.”

In 2008, Rizvi ran a distant third to the Conservative and Liberal candidates, garnering less than 9 per cent of the vote.

The incumbent MP, Conservative Bob Dechert, said he hadn’t spoken to Rizvi since the 2008 campaign. The news came as a pleasant surprise.

“I’m thrilled he’s prepared to support the Prime Minister and, I hope, me,” Dechert said. “I’m hoping he will have an opportunity to get in touch and hopefully we can work together.”

Dechert said Rizvi is “a very intelligent, polite professional guy who ran a clean campaign. We had no issues.”

The NDP is holding a nomination meeting Saturday afternoon at the Meadowvale Library where it’s expected the candidate will be Michelle Bilek, who ran for the NDP in Oakville in 2008.

Bilek, 38, said the party approached her a week ago to run.

“I was asked to step in and be the candidate because the candidate here in Erindale had personal reasons to step down,” she said. “That’s pretty much all I know at this point. In the name of democracy I said, ‘Okay, I’ll take it on.’ It’s going to be a challenge but I’ll do my best.”

Bilek said she doesn’t think Rizvi’s defection will have lasting negative consequences.

“I don’t think it hurts me personally and I don’t think it hurts the party. I think it looks bad on the candidate really, that they would switch allegiance. Switching over to another party I think is just wrong.”

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Bilek said she has supported the NDP since she reached voting age.

“I would feel guilty and would have a bad conscience if I voted any other way. I wouldn’t do it personally, let’s put it that way.”