Controversial Alberta MP Rob Anders has failed in his second attempt at new political life, losing the Conservative nomination in a rural riding east of Calgary.

Anders was seeking the Conservative nomination in the new riding of Bow River, a largely rural area which covers a large swath of southern Alberta east of Calgary including Strathmore, Brooks, Taber and Vauxhall.

His decision came after losing a bitterly fought battle in Calgary-Signal Hill, which takes in a large part of the constituency of Calgary West that Anders represented for 17 years. Former provincial cabinet minister Ron Liepert bested Anders in that race and will represent the Conservatives in the next election set for the fall of 2015.

The winner in the Bow River riding was Martin Shields, the mayor of the City of Brooks.

Anders was not present when the results were released.

His entry into the race caused resentment from the other three candidates who labelled him a "drop-in" candidate.

Anders known for socially conservative views

Anders is known for his strong social conservative views and has gained attention for his sometimes inflammatory statements, including his opposition to granting honorary citizenship to Nelson Mandela, branding the South African leader a communist and a terrorist.

He once compared the 2008 Beijing Olympics to the 1936 Berlin Games, which were held when Germany was under the control of Adolf Hitler.

In 2012, Anders was dropped from the Commons veterans affairs committee after he lashed out at a veterans support group that had criticized him for falling asleep during a committee meeting. He later apologized for saying his critics were NDP "hacks."