KELOWNA (NEWS1130) – Christy Clark could have her ticket back into the provincial legislature if she wins a by-election which will be held in Westside-Kelowna.

Ben Stewart who was first elected in 2009, has stepped aside for her and says he’s happy to do it.

“Our premier and leader led us to a remarkable victory… So I’m looking forward to working with the premier and I want to ensure that she has what she needs to deliver not just our vision but also some of the real things we need to do for British Columbians to move ahead,” says Stewart.

He says it’s an honour that the riding has the opportunity to be represented by Clark.

Clark calls it a natural choice for her and says Kelowna is the cradle of free enterprise.

“In the coming weeks I will be asking the people of Westside-Kelowna for their votes and I will be inspired by the hard working families who build their lives here and of course I will always be inspired by the character and honour of Ben Stewart,” says Clark.

She says several MLAs from across the province offered to step aside for her.

Stewart won that riding by a 58 per cent margin so OMNI TV Political Analyst Kim Emerson calls it a safe bet.

“There’s a big vote margin there, that riding has gone to the rightest-centre party for pretty much the history of the area so it really isn’t a surprise and we’ve had two premiers from there spanning almost 30 years in government,” explains Emerson.

The by-election will likely take place in mid-July and if Clark wins she will be sworn in shortly after that.

Clark narrowly lost her Vancouver-Point Grey seat to the NDP’s David Eby in the May 14th general election.

NDP leader Adrian Dix said in a statement that he and his party are looking forward to running against Clark, and they have a strong campaign with an Okanagan candidate.

He goes on to state that the NDP will run a candidate with local roots who can offer the people a strong, local voice in the legislature.