Opposition parties are champing at the bit at the prospect of a byelection in the one-time Tory stronghold of Calgary-Elbow following Alison Redford’s resignation this week.

The riding has been held by four Progressive Conservatives, including former premier Redford and Ralph Klein, but the last time a byelection was called in the constituency, Liberal Craig Cheffins pulled off a stunning upset.

With Redford resigning Wednesday, the governing Tories must call a byelection within six months.

PC leadership front-runner Jim Prentice made it clear Wednesday he will not seek election in the city’s centre-west riding if he wins the Tory contest in September.

“I have never had any intention of running in Calgary-Elbow,” he said.

The other two leadership candidates — Ric McIver and Thomas Lukaszuk — already have seats in the legislative assembly.

The Liberals say it is wide open for them to win again.

“It’s certainly a constituency that I would characterize as the voters being thoughtful, engaged and well-informed,” said Cheffins, who won the 2007 byelection after Klein retired, but lost to Redford by 420 votes in 2008.

“As a result, they are open to ideas and they are quite forward thinking. It will make for a very interesting race.”

Given the controversy that followed Redford, voters will be looking for accountability, he added.

Liberal Leader Raj Sherman said the party expects to field a strong candidate in the riding who can take advantage of the controversy and the vote splitting between two conservative parties — the PCs and the Wildrose.

“The PCs are very damaged after the last term, especially with the betrayal of public trust.”

Sherman said 60 people attended the riding’s annual meeting in June where “a very electable candidate” with experience in the oil and gas industry expressed interest in running,

But John Fletcher, a former military officer, oil executive and practicing lawyer who is seeking the Wildrose nomination, said he hasn’t detected much support for the Liberals while door-knocking in the riding.

“I get a sense that it is conservative country and I don’t see Liberals doing well at all,” Fletcher said.

What he has found is significant bitterness toward the governing Tories, he said.

“I just think there is an awful lot of backlash,” he said. “People say they are upset. . . . I had a sense that people were going to punish the PCs.”

He noted that last election, Redford garnered about 11,000 votes to the second-place Wildrose’s 5,000 and he predicted the numbers will be reversed in the next byelection.

William McBeath, Wildrose provincial campaign director, sent out an email request to members to donate to the party’s Calgary-Elbow campaign within hours of Redford’s resignation.

“By electing a Wildrose MLA in Calgary-Elbow, we send the message to the PCs that Albertans aren’t going to tolerate their abuses and entitlements any longer,” he said. “Let’s show them there’s no safe PC seat left anywhere in Alberta.”

Brian Henninger, the PC candidate who lost to Cheffins in the last byelection, urged riding voters not to take their anger out on the Tory party in the coming byelection.

“I don’t care what message you want to send to the premier, don’t do it with your vote,” he said. “Make sure your riding is represented by someone who really cares about your riding.”