BROOKS, Alta. -- Controversial Alberta MP Rob Anders is hoping for new political lifeline after losing a Conservative nomination race in Calgary earlier this year.

Anders is now seeking the Conservative nomination in the new riding of Bow River, a largely rural area which covers a big swath of southern Alberta east of Calgary, including the communities of Strathmore, Brooks, Taber and Vauxhall. The results of the vote will be announced in Brooks on Saturday evening.

His decision comes after losing a bitterly fought battle in Calgary Signal Hill, which takes in a large part of the constituency of Calgary West that Anders represented for 17 years. Former provincial cabinet minister Ron Liepert bested Anders in that race and will represent the Conservatives in the next election set for the fall of 2015.

Anders has said he now lives in Chestermere, a community within the Bow River riding.

Anders' entry into the race caused resentment from the other three people running, who have labelled him a "drop-in" candidate.

He faces the mayor of the City of Brooks, Martin Shields, former Rocky View County reeve Rolly Ashdown and an economics professor from Calgary's Mount Royal University, Gerard Lucyshyn. All three men are long-time residents in the riding.

Anders is known for his strong social conservative views and gained attention for his sometimes inflammatory statements, including his opposition to granting honorary citizenship to Nelson Mandela, branding the South African leader a communist and a terrorist.

He once compared the 2008 Beijing Olympics to the 1936 Berlin Games, which were held when Germany was under the control of Adolf Hitler.

In 2012, Anders was dropped from the Commons veterans affairs committee after he lashed out at a veterans support group that had criticized him for falling asleep during a committee meeting. He later apologized for saying his critics were NDP "hacks."

David Taras, a political scientist from Mount Royal University, questions whether Anders has the support to win in the new riding.

"It doesn't seem that he has that much of a base that's transportable," said Taras.

"Sometimes you have enough of a following and people's loyalty that you can move them. There's not that much to move and the problem is he's not local," he added.

"All of those people know each other. If you've lived there a long time and been involved in civic activities and a high profile that's a huge advantage and there's the huge disadvantage that Anders sees this as the land of second choice. He's already been beaten in Calgary."