Darshan Kang, Calgary Skyview winner, telling supporters 'you are the change'

Calgary Skyview went to the Liberals on Monday — with former MLA Darshan Kang becoming the first Liberal to win a seat in the city since 1968.

Kang came out with an early lead against Conservative Devinder Shory, and never looked back. Hours later, a second Liberal, Kent Hehr, defeated incumbent Conservative MP Joan Crockatt by fewer than 1,000 votes in Calgary Centre.

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During his victory speech, Kang told the crowd of excited supporters they made history. 

"Today, you have decided to be heard," he said.

"This country has given a chance to each and every person to reach their goals. Each and every one of you are the change."

The Liberals fought hard for the riding, identifying it as one of three that could provide an opening for the party in Calgary.

Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau — who led the party to a stunning majority government Monday night — made Calgary Skyview one of his final campaign stops on Sunday, ahead of the vote.

Shory campaign concedes voters wanted 'different direction'

Shory was not available for comment after his defeat, but his campaign manager, Steven Ladd, said the candidate is "respecting the wishes of the people and spending time with the family."

When asked if he thought the campaign was a victim of a backlash against the national campaign and Stephen Harper, Ladd refused to speculate. 

"I don't think there's anything really there that had an impact on our campaign other than the undecided residents deciding that they wanted to go a different direction," he said.

Crowded field

A crowded field of eight candidates was on the ballot, but the race was largely considered to be between Shory and Kang.

The other contenders were Sahajvir Singh of the NDP, Ed Reddy of the Green Party, Daniel Blanchard with the Marxist-Leninists, Najeeb Butt of the Progressive Canadian Party, Stephen Garvey of the Democratic Advancement Party and independent Joseph Young.

The race has seen some controversy, with both Kang and Shory being accused of campaigning at or near the Genesis Centre while advance voting was taking place, in contravention of election laws.

New riding

The riding used to known as Calgary Northeast but was renamed in 2013 when the federal voting map was redrawn. It lost some territory in the south and southwest and gained some territory in the north but otherwise stayed largely the same.

Shory was first elected in Calgary Northeast in 2008 and re-elected in 2011, earning more than half the popular vote in each election.

Kang is the former Liberal MLA for Calgary-McCall who opted to not run for re-election in May's provincial election and turned his attention to federal politics instead.

Diverse

Skyview is a diverse riding, encompassing most of the northeast.

Just 57 per cent of residents listed English as their mother tongue in the 2006 census, with 16 per cent listing Punjabi.

Visible minorities made up 59.6 per cent of the population in that census, 31.4 per cent were South Asian.

The riding is bound by 32nd Avenue N.E. to the south and Deerfoot Trail, Beddington Trail, Harvest Hills Boulevard and Centre Street North to the west.