Provincial NDP legislator Jagrup Brar will not run in the next election in his present riding of Surrey-Panorama Ridge.

According to a letter from B.C. New Democratic party president Jeff Fox and secretary Laura Nichols, that riding has been reserved for a female candidate in the next election.

That is in keeping with the NDP's controversial resolution to set aside 40 per cent of the party's non-incumbent seats for affirmative-action candidates.

Mr. Brar played coy when asked if he would run in another riding.

"It looks very funny," he told 24 hours. "I will be making an announcement later this week. I will be more than happy to contact you if you want. But all I can tell you is [I will be making an announcement] later this week, early tomorrow."

The list of affirmative-action ridings was "determined" by the party's executive on Aug. 12.

Fox explained the party initially asked associations if they were interested in self-designating.

"But it was always ... understood that - if there was an insufficient number that came to us - we would then be obligated to make designations," he said. "And that was the position we found ourselves in."

Nine of a required 15 associations were interested in running female candidates and four of five associations interested in running a candidate from an under-represented group.

Fox acknowledged some associations were concerned about their new affirmative-action status.

"We had a couple that came back and said, 'Gee, we voted for it at convention. But we actually didn't think we'd be designated,'" he said. "And so we've gone out and had some meetings with those folks."

Sean Holman reports for 24 hours, Public Eye, and The Hook.