In byelection politics, Bigfoot is not a mythical, hairy creature roaming the Pacific Northwest.

When vacant ridings come open, Bigfoot rears its ugly head in the form of “star candidates” stepping over lesser known wannabes — something all political parties do to take advantage of name recognition.

In the five current provincial byelection campaigns, the importance of a prominent community profile has led to surprise exits for would-be MPPs in two of the ridings, Scarborough-Guildwood and Etobicoke-Lakeshore.

Amarjeet Kaur Chhabra was bitten by the beast and has the wounds to prove it.

Chhabra, a union activist, was vying to be the NDP candidate in the Aug. 1 contest in Scarborough.

An energetic young woman who overcame her disability from childhood polio and immigrated to Canada from India, she is the kind of dream candidate political parties crave.

So it was logical that Adam Giambrone, the former TTC chair and ex-Davenport city councillor who co-chaired the NDP candidate-recruitment team, would approach her about seeking the nomination.

Giambrone is best remembered for a 2010 sex-and-lies scandal in which he deceived the Star about cheating on his now wife, Sarah McQuarrie. That derailed his once-promising mayoral bid.

Hoping to put that controversy behind him, the former municipal politician decided to launch a political comeback — and bigfoot Chhabra in the process.

With the apparent backing of NDP Leader Andrea Horwath and party brass, Giambrone decided that he would like the nomination even though riding association insiders confess he was “not known” to them.

“Adam asked me to run and anyone can change their mind,” says Chhabra, her voice trailing off.

What really angered and frustrated her was that the July 7 nomination vote — where Giambrone beat her 18-14 — seemed highly irregular.

The interloper came with a dozen supporters who did not appear to be eligible to vote because their names were not on a printed list of members signed up before a 30-day cut-off as required by party rules.

When riding activists backing Chhabra challenged Giambrone’s supporters, the New Democrats’ influential party secretary Darlene Lawson dismissed their concerns and personally vouched for one of the supporters.

The NDP and Giambrone — who has not responded to the Star’s request for comment — are trying to put the kerfuffle behind them.

“We’re pleased to move forward. We are focused on electing Adam as the next MPP for Scarborough-Guildwood, to deliver results and hold the government accountable,” said party spokesman Michael Rosenstock.

Following her defeat, Chhabra consulted with a lawyer and considered legal action against the NDP before abandoning that on Thursday.

“I do remain disappointed in the party and I have some disappointment with Adam,” she says, adding she gave up a potential court challenge because of “the limited time before the byelection.”

“On the positive side, many people have reached out to me sharing similar experiences which will lead to change,” says Chhabra.

“I’m going to run for office again, absolutely. I am a member if the NDP and I will remain active in the NDP.”

But when asked if she will help Giambrone in a tough byelection — against Liberal Mitzie Hunter, Progressive Conservative Ken Kirupa, and Green Nick Leeson — to succeed retired Grit MPP Margarett Best, Chhabra was pointedly noncommittal.

In Etobicoke—Lakeshore, there were suggestions the Progressive Conservatives booted Steven Ryan — the nominated candidate since last December — to make way for Toronto deputy mayor Doug Holyday.

But Ryan, a Toronto police homicide detective, said injuries from a car accident last summer had not healed to the point he could actively campaign during the byelection so he decided to withdraw his candidacy.

“The party was very supportive of me,” said the 44-year-old father of two. “That speculation that they pushed me aside is not true whatsoever.”

Holyday said there was no way he would have run had Ryan been up to it.

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“If Steve was still wanting to do this I certainly wouldn’t have come forward and (stood) in his way,” Holyday told reporters July 4, when he announced his decision.

The Tories have pinned a great deal of hope on Holyday, hoping he can win the riding held by former Liberal cabinet minister Laurel Broten.

“I twisted his arm a little bit to get him on board our team,” PC Leader Tim Hudak admitted.

Sandra Pupatello, runner-up to Premier Kathleen Wynne in the January Liberal leadership, said there is a greater emphasis on a “name” candidate during a byelection than a general election.

“The truth is, in a byelection there tends to be a greater focus on the local candidates so parties tend to be far more involved in candidate selection. That’s just a reality,” said Pupatello, who has been approached in the past to be a star candidate for the federal Liberals.

But the political veteran warned there are risks involved in imposing a big name on a local riding association.

“When it works you’re a hero and when it doesn’t work they (party activists) stay mad for a long time,” she said.

Scott Courtice, president of the London West provincial Liberal riding association, said pushing others aside “is kind of shooting yourself in the foot as a riding — because then you may lose a really good (future) candidate.”

Courtice insisted the Grits didn’t have to do that when Ken Coran, former president of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation (OSSTF), expressed interest in the job, given no one else was interested.

Still, Coran’s candidacy to succeed former energy minister Chris Bentley is contentious for other reasons; as recently as February he was publicly condemning the Liberal government for removing teachers’ right to strike and freezing wages.

Many feel Tory Ali Chahbar or New Democrat Peggy Sattler could win the seat. Gary Brown is the long-shot Green candidate.

Brad Lavigne, former senior adviser to the late federal NDP leader Jack Layton, said “there are plenty of upsides to having a high-profile candidate.”

“The political history highway is littered with high-profile candidates who have failed, but there are also many examples of high-profile candidates who can be game-changers for political parties in making a breakthrough in ridings that they haven’t been elected to in the past,” he said.

“And you could possibly see a couple of those examples in this set of byelections,” said Lavigne, pointing to NDP MPP Catherine Fife (Kitchener—Waterloo), who was considered a star candidate when she won the riding last September.

He added Giambrone easily fits that bill right now with public transit as a key election issue in Scarborough.

“Having an individual like him with his background can certainly draw attention for the party that they wouldn’t necessarily normally have had they had another candidate,” said Lavigne, dismissing the internal squabble over Giambrone’s nomination by stressing voters pay little attention to party processes.

“I don’t know if the electorate focuses on . . . how candidates get selected. I think what they do is focus on the choice that’s before them.”