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The third time was the charm for Prasad Panda as he won the Calgary-Foothills byelection on Thursday, delivering a major breakthrough for the Wildrose Party — and the first major blow to Premier Rachel Notley’s NDP.

Panda, who ran and lost for Wildrose in the 2012 and 2015 provincial elections, took an early lead over the NDP’s Bob Hawkesworth and held it as the votes rolled in throughout the night, eventually winning by 1,607 votes over his nearest opponent.

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With all 66 polls reporting, Panda had captured 38 per cent of the vote, with Hawkesworth trailing at 26 per cent. Progressive Conservative Blair Houston was close behind in third place with 22 per cent of the votes cast.

The race was fought in the midst of economic turmoil and Panda said there is a clear message for Notley.

“The message is clear that people are concerned about jobs and economy. That’s what they expressed in this vote,” Panda said in an interview. “She has to reflect (on) the verdict here in Calgary-Foothills.”