Today is my 28th birthday. Getting old.
To reward myself for lasting this long, I'm going to cop out of writing a real blog post by putting up this story I've written for the paper.
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With only nine weeks until the provincial election on Oct. 10, the major political parties are still yet to name candidates to the new Mississauga-Brampton South riding.
At Politicians Appreciation Day Wednesday, hosted by the Mississauga Board of Trade, few people had any idea who would be carrying the party banners in what is considered a fairly safe Liberal area.
Only one thing is agreed on, that the people who take to the hustings for the Progressive Conservatives and Liberals will be appointed.
There simply isn't enough time to hold a nomination race and have the wounds of that race heal before a fast-approaching election.
"I think the Progressive Conservatives are waiting for the Liberals to show their hand," said Navdeep Bains, who holds the Mississauga-Brampton South seat federally.
Mississauga-Brampton South is also the only riding in Mississauga without an incumbent.
As such, many Liberals were ready to run for their party's nomination in the area. They were told not to bother by party headquarters.
Instead, Liberal HQ has found three possible contenders, sources have told The News.
Iffat Javid, a Peel District School Board educator, and Najma Iqbal, a member of the board of directors at Muslim Community Services, have both been fingered as potential candidates for the Liberals.
Deepika Damerla, an Omni TV reporter, is the most recent addition to the list of potential candidates, though her phone message at her office says she will be on vacation for another three weeks.
The Liberals, sources say, are set on appointing a women to be their candidate.
As for the Progressive Conservatives, no one will even speak of a list of potential candidates.
The NDP and the Green Party are also waiting until the last minute to appoint a nominee.
On the Family Coalition Party, a socially right-wing party that has never won a seat in the Ontario Legislature, put forward a candidate, Paul Micelli.
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