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Doug Ford tossed another grenade at the Ontario Conservative establishment Friday, accusing the party of deliberately trying to thwart his leadership bid by restricting candidates’ ability to sign up new members.

Rules for the suddenly called leadership race say that new membership applications will be accepted only up to Feb. 16, though voting doesn’t start until March 2.

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Ford said that policy was intended to undermine him, arguing that he has the strongest core support and greatest ability to attract new blood into the Conservatives.

“They’re doing this on purpose to hinder me, because out of all the candidates they know I can sign up more people,” he said in an interview with the National Post. “This is about … the insiders and the elites trying to figure out how they’re going to stop Doug Ford. The common people want me in there.”

Photo by Frank Gunn/Canadian Press

Ford called into question other aspects of the rules, too, saying the plan to hold the election via electronic balloting has the potential to make individual voters’ choices visible to party officials, and is open to hacking.