A veteran government aide who's had a front seat to a few recent BC Liberal controversies will run as the party's candidate in Saanich South this election.

Rishi Sharma said he decided to make the leap from ministerial aide to candidate in order to give back to neighbours and community members that "really opened their arms" to him over the years as a first generation Indo-Canadian.

"I want to bring customer service back to the constituents in Saanich South," he told The Tyee.

Sharma said he knows how to work his "tail off," having spent four years working long hours in the media monitoring department of former premier Gordon Campbell's office. Since 2009, he's worked as a ministerial aide.

Sharma worked for former minister responsible for multiculturalism, John Yap, who resigned from his role after the BC Liberals' controversial Multicultural Strategic Outreach Plan was leaked.

A review of the plan led by Premier Clark's deputy minister John Dyble found it involved two serious breaches of the public service's standards of conduct and the misuse of government resources.

After Yap's resignation, Sharma became aide to his successor, Minister Ralph Sultan. Sharma is still technically a ministerial assistant but is on leave until after the election, a BC Liberal spokesperson told The Tyee on Friday.

A year ago, Sharma was involved in the resignation of then minister for multiculturalism, Harry Bloy. Bloy resigned after it was revealed he improperly shared the emailed questions of an investigative reporter at the Province newspaper with the BC Liberal-linked corporation the reporter was investigating, according to a report by the paper. The emailed questions were forwarded to Bloy by Sharma.

"Individuals who work in this (legislature) building -- ministers, staffers, on both sides -- I think they do try to sincerely do their best for British Columbians," Sharma told The Tyee when asked about the two incidents.

"I know what it may look like to the public, and perception in this game is everything. That's why something is perceived to be wrong or is wrong, you step down. That's the respect for the building that you need to have."

Sharma called the district of Saanich South "one to watch" this May. He faces incumbent BC NDP MLA Lana Popham, who won it in 2009 with 47 per cent of the vote.

The BC Green candidate for the district is Branko Mustafovic, who was born and raised in Victoria and works as a commercial photographer. He's slated to produce and direct a documentary on ethical gold and diamond mining.*

"My main concern is the small businesses in Victoria. I lived here in the 1990s and it was difficult for everybody… as a young guy who just finished high school, there were no jobs for me and there were no jobs for university students," Mustafovic told The Tyee.

He said that two specific issues Saanich South residents are worried about this election are the high cost of locally-grown food and accessibility for seniors.

Mustafovic said people in the area want a change, and that the BC Green Party presents "a credible alternative."

"What was offered before isn't necessarily what they want (now)," he said.

Robyn Smith is The Tyee's election editor.

*Story updated March 26, 2013 at 12:30 p.m.