| Naresh Bhardwaj | |
| Birth Date: | [1] |
| Office: | Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta for Edmonton-Ellerslie |
| Term Start: | March 3, 2008 |
| Term End: | May 5, 2015 |
| Predecessor: | Bharat Agnihotri |
| Successor: | Rod Loyola |
Nareshindra Bhardwaj (born 1959) is a Canadian politician, who was elected in the 2008 provincial election to represent the electoral district of Edmonton-Ellerslie in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. He is a member of the Progressive Conservatives.[2] and was Associate Minister of Persons with Disabilities in the cabinet of Jim Prentice.
Bhardwaj ran 2012 provincial election as an incumbent PC candidate, winning a second term on April 23, 2012. He did not run in the 2015 general election.
He was made Associate Minister of Persons with disabilities in 2013.[3]
In March 2015, Bhardwaj was accused of offering a $10,000 bribe to prevent other candidates from challenging him in an election, however he was later cleared of any wrongdoing by an internal PC Party investigation,[4] and the Edmonton Police Service closed their investigation without laying any charges.[5]
At the time of the allegations, Rachel Notley, leader of the Alberta New Democratic Party, requested that Bhardwaj step down and submit to an investigation.[6] In March 2015, Bhardwaj withdrew his name as a candidate for the 2015 general election, however he maintained his innocence in the matter in public statements.[7]