Having entered the race to become the next leader of British Columbia’s governing New Democratic Party (NDP) as a long-shot candidate last month, climate activist Anjali Appadurai now looks increasingly competitive. A source with close knowledge of both campaigns says that Appadurai’s presence in the race has the party establishment “genuinely fucking scared.”

NDP brass are hell-bent on disqualifying Appadurai’s campaign and corporate media is happy to amplify baseless attacks against her. Reports are circulating that Appadurai has signed up many more members for the party than her competitor David Eby — whose status-quo bid for the premiership initially looked more like a road to a coronation than a contest. Appadurai is facing trumped-up allegations of campaign finance violations and unfounded accusations of attempting a “hostile takeover” of the party. The allegations are ugly but have so far failed to weaken the grassroots momentum behind Appadurai.

“There was a point at which, I’m not gonna lie, the pressure built to a real frenzy,” Appadurai told Jacobin. However, she remains determined to continue fighting as a voice for the social movements that have converged around her campaign, which filed its official paperwork on September 29.