The race to succeed federal Conservative MP Jim Abbott took another strange turn last week with would-be Liberal candidate Brent Bush saying he’s no longer seeking the Liberal nod.

Bush also dropped a broad hint that he may run as an independent in the next federal election.

The former NDP member, who ran twice against Abbott for the NDP, announced in February 2010 that he had quit the NDP and was seeking to be the Liberal candidate for Abbott’s Kootenay-Columbia seat.

This came after Abbott announced a week earlier that he was retiring and would not run in the next federal election. At the time, Bush said he was disillusioned with NDP leader Jack Layton’s stand against allowing local candidates to vote their conscience on the long gun registry issue.

But now, Bush says he’s disillusioned again only this time it’s with Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff’s order that the final vote on the gun registry issue expected in June will be a “whipped” vote meaning Liberal MP’s will have to vote in favour of the registry regardless of their own feelings on the issue.

In a letter to Betty Aitchison, President of the Kootenay-Columbia Liberal Riding Association, Bush outlined his reasons for leaving the Liberals.

“Forcing a sitting MP or prospective candidate to vote the party position on an issue, knowing in advance that it runs contrary to the interests of the constituents in the riding, clearly runs contrary to the principles of representative democracy. This is the primary reason I left Jack Layton’s NDP.”

“There is something clearly wrong with our democratic system when the internal strategic interests of a political party come before the interests of the people we claim to serve,” he said. “Perhaps it’s time that an independent candidate runs to be the next member of Parliament for Kootenay-Columbia. I think the constituents of the riding would be well served by it.”

In an interview after he wrote the letter, Bush again said he was thinking of running as an independent but hadn’t yet made up his mind. “I’m doing some serious research on it.”

The former NDP candidate, who twice finished second to Abbott, said under the existing election rules he can’t raise money for an independent campaign until the writ is dropped and an election is called.

In the meantime, he said he wouldn’t be surprised if several rural Liberal MP’s go against Ignatieff’s dictum and vote against the registry as eight Liberal caucus members did in the previous two votes.

“I don’t think he (Ignatieff) will be able to hold them all and it will split the caucus and the bill defeated. There are more pressing issues in this country than being absorbed by the gun issue. It’s ridiculous.”

With Bush out of the Kootenay-Columbia race for the time being at least, Sparwood Mayor David Wilks is only officially declared candidate that has filled out the necessary paper work to be a candidate. Three other potential Conservative candidates have taken papers out, but have yet to return them.

Rhonda Barter a Creston businesswoman, musician, and actor, has indicated she intends to seek the NDP nomination for Kootenay-Columbia, but the party has not yet set a nomination meeting.

Meanwhile local Liberal President Aitchison said she was disappointed Bush won’t be running for the Grits, but the party will field a candidate when an election is called.

“I’m very sorry things worked out the way they did. I think Brent Bush is an honest person and a credit to his community and concerned about his country.”

Aitchison said she will do everything she can to ensure the Liberals find a credible candidate before the next election, which is not expected until next year, but could happen anytime because of the minority government situation.