In 2021, Jyoti Gondek made history as the first woman of Indian descent to serve as Mayor of a Canadian city. Four years later, she made history again—this time as Calgary’s first incumbent mayor since 1980 to lose re-election. Gondek, who immigrated from England, finished third with 71,401 votes, trailing behind Jeromy Farkas (91,071) and Sonya Sharp (90,487).
The 2025 Calgary mayoral race ended in a razor-thin margin between Farkas and Sharp, prompting the latter to request a recount. Under provincial law, a recount can be sought if the vote difference is less than 0.5 percent of the total ballots cast. The gap—about 0.17 percent of 348,626 votes—meets that threshold.
“I will request a recount in accordance with legislation,” Sharp said in a press statement.
If the recount confirms Farkas’s lead, he will become Calgary’s 38th mayor and the first to unseat an incumbent since Ralph Klein defeated Rodd Alger in 1980.
Farkas reached out to Gondek following the results. “She’s given so much to Calgary, and I look forward to building on that work. And at the end of the day, we all love this city, and that’s what unites us,” he said.
Speaking to reporters, Farkas vowed to bridge divides across the city. “I’ll work with both progressive and conservative Calgarians,” he noted, thanking supporters for their backing over the past decade. A city councilor from 2017 to 2021, Farkas lost to Gondek in the previous mayoral race, where he secured 116,698 votes to her 176,344.
Farkas ran as an independent, criticizing what he called an “out-of-touch” council on jobs, housing, and safety. Sharp, representing the Communities First political party, focused her campaign on public safety and infrastructure, pledging to add 500 police officers. Gondek, like Farkas, ran independently and finished third.
The 2025 election, marked by long lines and low voter turnout, will soon have official results confirmed. Farkas is expected to lead a city council that includes at least eight new members, following the decision of several incumbents not to seek re-election.
The Calgary election also featured several candidates of Indian descent, though only Raj Dhaliwal retained his Ward 5 seat, winning 6,242 votes. Others—including Rajesh Angral, Anil Chauhan, Taran Dhillon, Jaspriya Johal, and several others—were unsuccessful across Wards 3, 4, 10, 12, and 14.
