Rob Anders a no-show as he loses nomination in Bow River

Controversial Alberta MP Rob Anders has failed in his second attempt at new political life, losing the Conservativenomination in a rural riding east of Calgary.

Anders was seeking the Conservative nomination in the new ridingof Bow River, a largely rural area which covers a large swath ofsouthern Alberta east of Calgary including Strathmore, Brooks, Taber and Vauxhall.

• Ron Liepert defeats Rob Anders in Calgary Signal Hill Tory nomination
• Rob Anders makes bid for new rural riding of Bow River

His decision cameafter losing a bitterly fought battle inCalgary-Signal Hill, which takes in a large part of the constituencyof Calgary West that Anders represented for 17 years. Formerprovincial cabinet minister Ron Liepert bested Anders in that raceand will represent the Conservatives in the next election set forthe fall of 2015.

The winner in the Bow River riding was Martin Shields, the mayor of the City of Brooks.

Anderswas not present when the results were released.

His entry into the race caused resentment from the other three candidates who labelled him a "drop-in" candidate.

Anders known for socially conservative views

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

He once compared the 2008 Beijing Olympics to the 1936 BerlinGames, which were held when Germany was under the control of AdolfHitler.

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