1 of 1 2 of 1

In the 2013 provincial election, Jagrup Brar lost his seat in Surrey-Fleetwood by a narrow margin of 200 votes.

Next year, the former New Democrat MLA will try to recover his seat from now B.C. Liberal cabinet minister Peter Fassbender.

Surrey-Fleetwood is one of the battleground districts in Metro Vancouver that may be crucial in spelling the difference between another term for Premier Christy Clark and her B.C. Liberals or a new government led by the B.C. NDP.

Brar is in a fighting mood, telling the Straight by phone: “Christy Clark and her B.C. Liberals, they are out of touch from reality in Surrey-Fleetwood.”

In 2013, the B.C. Liberals won 49 of the 85 seats across the province. They beat New Democrats by 15 seats.

Here are some of the close results in the Lower Mainland in the last election:

1. Coquitlam-Maillardville. 41 votes. Winner: Selina Mae Robinson, B.C. NDP.

2. Surrey-Fleetwood. 200 votes. Winner: Peter Fassbender, B.C. Liberal.

3. Delta North. 203 votes. Winner: Scott Hamilton, B.C. Liberal.

4. Port Moody-Coquitlam. 437 votes. Winner: Linda Reimer, B.C. Liberal.

5. Vancouver-Fraserview. 470 votes. Winner: Suzanne Anton, B.C. Liberal.

6. Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows. 620 votes. Winner: Doug Bing, B.C. Liberal.

7. Burnaby North. 668 votes. Winner: Richard Lee, B.C. Liberal.

8. Burnaby-Lougheed. 743 votes. Winner: Jane Shin, B.C. NDP.

9. Vancouver-Point Grey. 1,063 votes. Winner: David Eby, B.C. NDP.

10. North Vancouver-Lonsdale. 1,188 votes. Winner: Naomi Yamamoto, B.C. Liberal.

11. Vancouver-Fairview. 1,351 votes. Winner: George Heyman, B.C. NDP.

12. Surrey-Tynehead. 1,633 votes. Winner: Amrik Virk, B.C. Liberal.

Then there’s Coquitlam-Burke Mountain. In the 2016 byelection, Jodie Wickens of the B.C. NDP won by a margin of 690 votes. The byelection was called after B.C. Liberal MLA Douglas Horne stepped down. In 2013, Horne won the seat by 2,451 votes.

There had been adjustments made to boundaries in several constituencies across the province. These were based on the recommendations made by B.C. Electoral Boundaries Commission. In 2017, the total number of seats up for contention is 87.