Municipal election campaign posters vandalized in DDO
Posted September 22, 2025 5:13 pm.
A municipal candidate in Dollard-des-Ormeaux says his campaign posters were targeted in an act of vandalism over the weekend.
Pulkit Kantawala, who is running for councillor in District 7, says at least 10 of his election posters were defaced with red paint sometime overnight between Sunday and Monday.
The damage appeared to be limited to his posters, even when displayed alongside other candidates.
“Whether my poster was on top or at the bottom, or in the mix with other candidates, only mine was vandalized,” Kantawala told CityNews. “It is done with red paint… someone has taken a big paintbrush and covered my face, my name, everything.”
‘Why is this happening to me?‘
Kantawala says he was first alerted early Monday morning when friends began sending him photos of the vandalized signs. He initially thought it was limited to one or two posters — until more messages came in.
“By 10 o’clock I had got emails and phone calls… so I went around and took all the pictures,” he said. “I found at least ten of them.”
He said that the damage wasn’t just on public poles, but also in residential areas where he had permission to place his signs. He added that in in some locations, he also saw paint dripping on the ground and nearby poles.
He filed a police report and also contacted Élections Québec. Officers asked him to come in to make a formal complaint once he provided more evidence of the number of posters affected.
Concerns about motive and safety
Kantawala says the incident has left him concerned — not just for his campaign, but for his safety.
“I feel as if I’m being targeted,” he said. “I hope it wouldn’t go further, but it definitely creates a second thought of fear in my mind.”
He added that he has no concrete proof of who is responsible.
“I don’t want to say hate or anything… but is there an ulterior motive? I have no idea,” he said. “Is it because I’m brown? Is it because of something else? I don’t know.”
‘This is not helping democracy‘
Kantawala says what happened to him shouldn’t happen to anyone — no matter their background or political views.
“In a democracy, everybody has to be free to contest an election if they want,” he said. “Let alone mine — anybody’s posters being vandalized is not acceptable.”
He says he hopes police will investigate and that anyone with surveillance footage or information will come forward.
“I mean, people should be able to campaign freely and without any fear,” he said. “I’m not attacking anybody personally, nothing like that. So why should I be targeted?”
