->DraftSaturn15 at 06:18, 12 July 2021

2021-07-12T06:18:00Z

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{{Short description|Canadian politician}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Bharat Agnihotri
| image =
| image size =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age |1953|4|9}}
| birth_place = [[India]]
| residence = [[Edmonton]], [[Alberta]]
| office = [[Legislative Assembly of Alberta|MLA]] for [[Edmonton-Ellerslie]]
| term_start = November 22, 2004
| term_end = March 3, 2008
| predecessor = [[Debby Carlson]]
| successor = [[Naresh Bhardwaj]]
| party = [[Alberta Liberal Party|Liberal]]
| religion =
| spouse = Rita
| children = 2
| occupation = Realtor
| alma_mater = [[Guru Nanak Dev University]]
}}

'''Bharat Agnihotri''' (born April 9, 1953) is a [[Canadians|Canadian]] politician and a former member of the [[Legislative Assembly of Alberta]]. He represented the constituency of [[Edmonton-Ellerslie]], sitting as a [[Alberta Liberal Party|Liberal]]. He was elected in the [[2004 Alberta general election|2004 election]], but was defeated in the [[2008 Alberta general election|2008 election]].

== Early life ==
Agnihotri was born in [[India]], and graduated from [[Guru Nanak Dev University]] in [[Amritsar]] with a [[Bachelor of Arts]] in [[Economics]] and [[Political Science]].<ref name="assembly bio">{{cite web|url=http://www.assembly.ab.ca/net/index.aspx?p=mla_bio&rnumber=30 |title=Agnihotri's Legislative Assembly of Alberta biography |accessdate=2006-10-05 |url-status=bot: unknown |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20061005102244/http://www.assembly.ab.ca/net/index.aspx?p=mla_bio&rnumber=30 |archivedate=2006-10-05 }}</ref> In 1976, he immigrated to [[England]], where he lived until 1990, when he came to [[Edmonton]].<ref name="assembly bio"/> He began work as a realtor in 1997.<ref name="assembly bio"/>

== Politics ==

=== Electoral record ===
Agnihotri first sought election in the [[2001 Alberta general election|2001 provincial election]], when he ran as a Liberal in [[Edmonton Mill Creek]] against incumbent [[Gene Zwozdesky]].<ref name="results">{{cite web |url=http://www.abheritage.ca/abpolitics/process/election_results.html |title=Alberta's past election results |accessdate=2008-03-06}}</ref> Zwozdesky had been elected as a Liberal the previous election, and Agnihotri had volunteered for his campaign.<ref>{{cite news |first=David |last=Rogers |title=Rally to the cause |url=http://www.rewedmonton.ca/content_view2?CONTENT_ID=1458 |publisher=Real Estate Weekly |date=2006-05-18 |accessdate=2008-03-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070610032744/http://www.rewedmonton.ca/content_view2?CONTENT_ID=1458 |archive-date=2007-06-10 |url-status=dead }}</ref> However, Zwozdesky had left the Liberal caucus in July 1998, and joined the Progressive Conservatives a month later, and it was under their banner that he was seeking re-election. Agnihotri finished second, with 29% of the vote, nearly four thousand votes behind Zwozdesky.<ref name="results"/>

[[2004 Alberta general election|The next election]], Agnihotri ran in [[Edmonton Ellerslie]], which had been vacated by Liberal [[Debby Carlson]], who had resigned to run in the [[2004 Canadian federal election|2004 federal election]]. Agnihotri won a narrow victory, finishing 199 votes ahead of Progressive Conservative Gurnam Dodd.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.elections.ab.ca/PublicWebsite/files/Statements/30.pdf|title=2004 election results, Edmonton Ellerslie|last=|first=|date=|website=|publisher=|format=PDF|accessdate=2008-03-12}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> He sought re-election in the [[2008 Alberta general election|2008 election]], but was defeated by the Progressive Conservative candidate.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://results.elections.ab.ca/30.htm |title=2008 election results, Edmonton Ellerslie |accessdate=2008-03-12 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081002123932/http://results.elections.ab.ca/30.htm |archivedate=October 2, 2008 }}</ref>

=== Legislative initiatives ===
In 2007, Agnihotri sponsored the ''Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy (Repeal of Ministerial Briefing Exemption) Amendment Act'', would have eliminated ministerial briefings from the list of documents exempt from public disclosure under the province's access to information provisions.<ref>{{cite hansard |title=Introduction of Bills {{ndash}} Bill 218: Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy (Repeal of Ministerial Briefing Exemption) Amendment Act, 2007|page=1888|url=https://www.assembly.ab.ca/ISYS/LADDAR_files%5Cdocs%5Chansards%5Chan%5Clegislature_26%5Csession_3%5C20071108_1300_01_han.pdf |format=PDF|house=Legislative Assembly of Alberta |date=November 8, 2007}}</ref> It never reached second reading.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.assembly.ab.ca/pro/bills/s-bill07.htm |title=Legislative Assembly of Alberta Bill Status Report for the 26th Legislature - 3rd Session (2007) |accessdate=2008-03-12 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604234245/http://www.assembly.ab.ca/pro/bills/s-bill07.htm |archivedate=2011-06-04 }}</ref>

=== Community Initiatives Program incident ===
On April 3, 2007, Agnihotri became the first MLA to be named—that is, asked by the Speaker to leave the assembly—in [[Ken Kowalski]]'s nine years as speaker.<ref name="hansard">{{cite hansard |title=Oral Question Period {{ndash}} Point of Order: Reflections on Members|page=371|url=https://www.assembly.ab.ca/ISYS/LADDAR_files%5Cdocs%5Chansards%5Chan%5Clegislature_26%5Csession_3%5C20070403_1300_01_han.pdf |format=PDF|house=Legislative Assembly of Alberta |date=April 3, 2007}}</ref> This occurred as result of questions he asked Minister of Tourism, Parks, Recreation and Culture [[Hector Goudreau]] about the Community Initiatives Program, which dispenses grants to community groups.<ref name="hansard"/> Agnihotri began by noting that, despite a rule that unmatched grants could not exceed ten thousand dollars, forty-three groups had received unmatched grants exceeding that amount.<ref name="hansard"/> He then asked if these groups included any who had made donations to the [[2006 Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta leadership election|leadership campaigns]] of [[Ed Stelmach]], [[Dave Hancock]], [[Lyle Oberg]], or [[Ted Morton]]—all of whom were cabinet ministers and all of whom had refused to disclose full lists of donors from their leadership campaigns:<ref name="hansard"/> "Can this minister assure this house that groups receiving this special treatment are not secret friends of top Tories?"<ref name="CBC1">{{cite news |title=Alberta Liberal MLA tossed from legislature |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/alberta-liberal-mla-tossed-from-legislature-1.662371 |date=2007-04-04 |publisher=[[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]] |accessdate=2015-09-06}}</ref> Hancock rose on a [[point of order]], and Kowalski ruled that Agnihotri's question impugned the integrity of the ministers, and that the question was a party matter that had no place in the legislature.<ref name="hansard"/> He asked Agnihotri three times to apologize and, after Agnihotri refused, he named him.<ref name="CBC1"/> Agnihotri was not to be allowed back into the Legislature until he apologized and all members of the assembly agreed to re-admit him.<ref name="CBC2"/> He apologized the next day, saying that his constituents wanted him to and that "if you stay outside, you're not going to help Albertans, so better you go inside and fight for it."<ref name="CBC2">{{cite news |title=MLA apologizes, allowed back into legislature |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/mla-apologizes-allowed-back-into-legislature-1.683257 |date=2007-04-04 |publisher=[[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]] |accessdate=2015-09-06}}</ref>

==Post-political career==
After his defeat in 2008, Agnihotri announced plans to return to work as a realtor.<ref>{{cite news|first=Trish |last=Audette |publisher=Edmonton Journal |title=Tories triumphant for first time since '72 |url=http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/story.html?id=1a61d136-16b7-490a-9b0a-9a7ce214464f |date=2008-03-04 |accessdate=2008-03-12 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121104034815/http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/story.html?id=1a61d136-16b7-490a-9b0a-9a7ce214464f |archivedate=2012-11-04 }}</ref>

== Personal life ==
Agnihotri is married to Rita and has two children.<ref name="assembly bio"/> He enjoys [[cricket (sport)|cricket]] and [[table tennis]].<ref name="assembly bio"/>

== Election results ==
{{Alberta provincial election, 2001/Edmonton-Mill Creek}}
{| class="wikitable"
| colspan="3" align=center|'''[[2004 Alberta general election]] results ([[Edmonton Ellerslie]])'''
| colspan="2"|<span style="font-size: 90%;">'''Turnout 43.4%'''</span>
|-
| colspan="2" rowspan="1" align="left" valign="top" | '''Affiliation'''
| valign="top" |'''Candidate'''
| valign="top" |'''Votes'''
| valign="top" align="right"|'''%'''<br />
{{CANelec|AB|Liberal|Bharat Agnihotri|3,444|33.8%}}
{{CANelec|AB|PC|Gurnam Dodd|3,245|31.9%}}
{{CANelec|AB|NDP|Marilyn Assheton-Smith|2,257|22.2%}}
{{CANelec|AB|Alliance|[[Eleanor Maroes]]|1,005|9.9%}}
{{CANelec|AB|Social Credit|Amelia Maciejewski|238|2.3%}}
{{end}}
{{Alberta provincial election, 2008/Edmonton-Ellerslie}}

== References ==
{{Reflist|2}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Agnihotri, Bharat}}
[[Category:1953 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Alberta Liberal Party MLAs]]
[[Category:Canadian real estate agents]]
[[Category:Politicians from Amritsar]]
[[Category:Politicians from Edmonton]]
[[Category:Indian emigrants to Canada]]
[[Category:Canadian politicians of Indian descent]]
[[Category:Guru Nanak Dev University alumni]]
[[Category:21st-century Canadian politicians]]

Bharat Agnihotri - Revision history

->DraftSaturn15 at 06:18, 12 July 2021