B.C.'s Conservative party, which is attempting to shake up provincial politics by attempting a revival, won't be running a candidate in a byelection against Premier Christy Clark.

Party president Wayne McGrath says the Conservatives will respect "parliamentary tradition" of not running candidates against sitting party leaders.

Clark was elected Liberal leader earlier this year and still needs a seat in the legislature.

The premier has called the byelection for May 11, and she'll be running against David Eby of the NDP and Francoise Raunet of the Greens.

The Conservative party is hoping resentment of the governing Liberals, particularly for the controversial harmonized sales tax, will allow them to drum up enough support to come out of the political wilderness.

Former federal Conservative MP John Cummins is running to lead the provincial Conservative party, which has no formal ties to its counterpart in Ottawa.