Legislative Assembly · District of Preston
Loki Sangarya
Last verified 29 Aug 2026
Seat context — Preston›
Preston is a genuinely marginal Labor-vs-Greens contest (roughly a 2-point margin in 2022), not the safe Labor seat the original breadth pass implied. Sitting Labor MP Nathan Lambert is recontesting, facing the Greens' Loki Sangarya, Victorian Socialists' Serena Ashmore, and Animal Justice's Rachel Unicomb. No Liberal candidate has surfaced for 2026.
Background
"I am an engineer, a policy researcher, a unionist and I am proud to call Reservoir home... As someone who's worked across technical, research and advocacy roles, I know how to turn good ideas into action." SSelf-stated — GREENS-SANGARYAAustralian Greens Victoria, "Loki Sangarya"View source
In a 2025 interview, Sangarya stated: "I currently work as an Engineer in the water and wastewater sector," and described having worked on infrastructure projects that directly reduce emissions, plus policy research examining government policy against social needs and planetary boundaries. SSelf-stated — INDIANLINK-SCULLINIndian Link, "Meet Loki Sangarya, Greens candidate for Scullin" (2025)View source
A LinkedIn profile matching this name/description (Lokesh Sarvesh Sangarya) lists current role as Asset Planner at Melbourne Water, preceded by Sustainability Co-Lead Mechanical Engineer (Water) at Beca, and earlier Packaging Team Leader, Mechanical Engineer, and Supply Management Trainee roles at Carlton & United Breweries (CUB). RReported — LINKEDIN-SANGARYA, ZOOMINFO-SANGARYALinkedIn, "Lokesh Sarvesh Sangarya"View sourceZoomInfo, "Lokesh Sangarya — Research Volunteer at Regen Melbourne"View source
This could only be confirmed via search-engine snippet summaries — direct fetch of the LinkedIn and ZoomInfo pages was blocked (LinkedIn HTTP 999, ZoomInfo HTTP 403), so this employer chain is unverified at primary-source level despite strong topical consistency (water/wastewater engineering) with his own self-description. RReported — LINKEDIN-SANGARYA, ZOOMINFO-SANGARYALinkedIn, "Lokesh Sarvesh Sangarya"View sourceZoomInfo, "Lokesh Sangarya — Research Volunteer at Regen Melbourne"View source
Ran as the Australian Greens candidate for the federal Division of Scullin at the 2025 Australian federal election; placed third with 9,090 first-preference votes (9.42% of formal vote, a swing of -1.44%), behind Labor's Andrew Giles (winner) and Liberal's Rohit Taggar. VVerified — AEC-SCULLINAustralian Electoral Commission, "Scullin, VIC — Tally Room (2025 federal election)" (2025)View source
In the full preference distribution, the bulk of his preferences (85.14%) flowed to Giles. VVerified — AEC-SCULLINAustralian Electoral Commission, "Scullin, VIC — Tally Room (2025 federal election)" (2025)View source
Self-describes as "a unionist." SSelf-stated — GREENS-SANGARYAAustralian Greens Victoria, "Loki Sangarya"View source
No specific union name, delegate title, or workplace role within a union could be found despite targeted searching (including for Professionals Australia/APESMA, the engineering-sector union, given his engineering occupation) — this remains an unverified, unspecified claim. SSelf-stated — GREENS-SANGARYAAustralian Greens Victoria, "Loki Sangarya"View source
A 2025 interview frames this as effectively his first entry into formal politics: he described being "disappointed" in existing representation, which "prompted me to enter politics and better represent the community's needs." SSelf-stated — INDIANLINK-SCULLINIndian Link, "Meet Loki Sangarya, Greens candidate for Scullin" (2025)View source
No prior council seat, party official position, or other elected/appointed public role was found in any source reviewed. SSelf-stated — INDIANLINK-SCULLINIndian Link, "Meet Loki Sangarya, Greens candidate for Scullin" (2025)View source
Search-engine snippets attributed to LinkedIn/ZoomInfo also list unpaid volunteer roles with the Planetary Accounting Network and as a "Research Volunteer" at Regen Melbourne (a Melbourne sustainability/regeneration organisation). Same caveat as above: not confirmed via direct primary-source fetch. RReported — LINKEDIN-SANGARYA, ZOOMINFO-SANGARYALinkedIn, "Lokesh Sarvesh Sangarya"View sourceZoomInfo, "Lokesh Sangarya — Research Volunteer at Regen Melbourne"View source
"I am proud to call Reservoir home" — states residence in Reservoir, within the Preston electorate. SSelf-stated — GREENS-SANGARYAAustralian Greens Victoria, "Loki Sangarya"View source
In a 2025 interview he said he "grew up in Southern India, in the bustling city of Bengaluru, in a working-class family that strongly valued honesty and integrity." (Broader biographical/origin context, not a Preston-specific local tie — no migration date or further family detail was given.) SSelf-stated — INDIANLINK-SCULLINIndian Link, "Meet Loki Sangarya, Greens candidate for Scullin" (2025)View source
Platform
Where they stand, issue by issue — grounded in 2026 Victorian polling, not assumed. Every position is tagged with how we know it.
Ensuring housing is affordable and renters are secure, and reducing the cost of housing for renters and home-owners.
Keeping Preston Market in public hands.
Better and cheaper public transport.
Government decisions based on evidence rather than vested interests, with leadership that 'listens, plans for the future and puts people and the planet before profit.'
What Victorians say matters most
5 poll-led issuesCost of living and crime have ranked 1st or 2nd in every Victorian poll since mid‑2025, with debt and housing close behind — see schema §3 for the polling this grouping is based on (DemosAU, Ipsos Issues Monitor, Roy Morgan). The 0-10 'priorityScore' on each candidate's issue entries is NOT a measure of true importance or an independent ranking of what a candidate actually cares about. It reflects how much detail and specificity exists in what that candidate has actually said publicly on that issue -- a named policy mechanism and a verified voting record score higher than a one-line stated priority, regardless of the issue's real-world weight. Render this distinction in the UI wherever the score appears; do not label it just 'Priority' without the qualifier.
Cost of living
No cost-of-living-specific statement was found attributed to Sangarya personally for the Preston race.
As a Victorian Greens-endorsed candidate, his applicable positions are the party's 2026 statewide platform: permanently free public transport, a two-year rent freeze then capping increases at wage growth or CPI (whichever is lower), and regulating supermarkets to prevent price gouging.
Crime and community safety
No candidate-specific statement on crime or community safety was found.
The only applicable material is the Victorian Greens' statewide justice policy — prioritising evidence-based crime prevention and justice reinvestment over 'law and order' campaigns, expanding community corrections and restorative justice, a proposed 'Better Rights in Police Custody Bill', and raising the age of criminal responsibility to at least 14.
This is party platform, not a Sangarya-specific position.
Housing affordability and supply
Sangarya names housing as a lead priority, stating his goal is 'ensuring housing is affordable, renters are secure' and committing to 'reducing the cost of housing for renters and home-owners.'
As an endorsed Greens candidate his position also follows the party's 2026 statewide platform.
A two-year rent freeze then capping increases at wage growth or CPI, building 88,000+ public homes with an initial $4 billion investment, and abolishing stamp duty on owner-occupied homes up to $1.1 million.
The party's separate Housing and Homelessness Policy (last amended 23 June 2024) adds a mandatory rental-provider licensing regime, extending notice periods for rent increases/evictions from 60 to 90 days, and mandatory inclusionary zoning across residential growth zones.
State government debt and fiscal management
No candidate-specific statement was found.
The applicable material is the Victorian Greens' statewide fiscal platform — raising land tax to 5.3% for investors with $5m+ residential property and a 0.05% levy on major banks, plus opposition to public-private partnerships in favour of direct public delivery — presented as party platform, not a Sangarya-specific position.
Infrastructure and public transport delivery
Sangarya's campaign bio commits to 'better & cheaper public transport' for Preston.
The Victorian Greens' 2026 statewide platform, under which he is endorsed, calls for permanently free trains, trams and buses, increased service frequency, a shift to fully electric public transport, and $150 million for bike lanes and walking infrastructure over a decade.
Also on the record
6 substance issuesThese don't top “biggest issue” polling, but carry real 2026 policy weight and genuine differences between parties.
Education and training
No candidate-specific statement was found.
The applicable material is the Victorian Greens' statewide education policy — reinstating $2.4 billion in delayed public-school funding, phasing out public-school fees, improving teacher pay and reducing class sizes, and guaranteeing recurrent TAFE funding — presented as party platform, not a Sangarya-specific position.
Health and healthcare access
No candidate-specific statement was found.
The applicable material is the Victorian Greens' statewide health policy — well-funded, timely public healthcare, recruiting 500 additional psychologists and psychiatrists, adding 200 drug and alcohol rehabilitation beds, and using health workers rather than police for mental-health emergencies — presented as party platform, not a Sangarya-specific position.
Urban planning and housing density
Sangarya's most concrete seat-specific commitment is ensuring 'our iconic Preston Market remains in public hands.'
He frames his broader approach to development and planning decisions around the principle that 'government decisions should be based on evidence, not vested interests.'
The Victorian Greens' statewide planning platform, under which he is endorsed, calls for increasing density around transport hubs while protecting green wedges, requiring at least 30% public and genuinely affordable housing in developments over 15 dwellings, a 40% urban tree canopy target, and restoring planning power to councils and communities rather than developer-driven fast-track approvals.
Climate and energy transition
No statement specific to the 2026 Preston campaign was found.
In his 2025 federal campaign for the neighbouring seat of Scullin, Sangarya opposed new fossil fuel approvals, saying 'the science said we need to open zero new' coal and gas projects — a personal position from a different election that has not been confirmed as restated for Preston.
The Victorian Greens' 2026 statewide platform (energy policy last adopted 4 October 2025) commits to 100% renewable energy by 2030, an immediate ban on new coal and gas projects, publicly owned transmission infrastructure, and government-backed loans for household efficiency upgrades and solar.
Treaty and First Nations affairs
No candidate-specific statement was found, and no reference to the Gellung Warl representative body specifically was located in any party or candidate material reviewed.
The applicable material is the Victorian Greens' statewide platform, which supports the Statewide Treaty Bill without amendment and commits to negotiating Traditional Owner land and asset settlements and strengthening the Aboriginal Heritage Act.
This is party platform, not a Sangarya-specific position.
Regional and rural Victoria
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Local & party context
2 fieldsNot scored the way the eleven issues above are — these are fixed facts about the seat and the party, not positions with more or less emphasis behind them.
As a first-time candidate with no sitting-MP record, Sangarya's platform is best understood as following the Victorian Greens' 2026 statewide platform. SSelf-stated — GREENS-SANGARYA, ELECTIONTRACKER-GREENS-POLICYAustralian Greens Victoria, "Loki Sangarya"View sourceAustralian Election Tracker, "Greens policy profile — 2026 Victorian state election" (2026)View source
His own public statements (housing/renters, Preston Market, public transport, evidence-based governance) are consistent with, and do not depart from, that platform. SSelf-stated — GREENS-SANGARYA, ELECTIONTRACKER-GREENS-POLICYAustralian Greens Victoria, "Loki Sangarya"View sourceAustralian Election Tracker, "Greens policy profile — 2026 Victorian state election" (2026)View source
His campaign-launch material frames the race as part of 'a progressive movement that will put people and the planet before profits', positioning the Greens against the major parties — messaging consistent with, not a departure from, the statewide platform. SSelf-stated — GREENS-LAUNCH-EVENTAustralian Greens Victoria, "Let's Win Preston & Reservoir! Candidate Launch" (2026 (event 15 May 2026))View source
Track record & prior candidacies
No ministerial or shadow portfolio, parliamentary committee membership, or named Greens internal party role (e.g. branch convenor, policy committee) found in sources reviewed. SSelf-stated — GREENS-SANGARYA, INDIANLINK-SCULLINAustralian Greens Victoria, "Loki Sangarya"View sourceIndian Link, "Meet Loki Sangarya, Greens candidate for Scullin" (2025)View source
He is described only generically as a 'policy researcher' and 'unionist' by the party, without a named union, union office, or party position specified. SSelf-stated — GREENS-SANGARYA, INDIANLINK-SCULLINAustralian Greens Victoria, "Loki Sangarya"View sourceIndian Link, "Meet Loki Sangarya, Greens candidate for Scullin" (2025)View source
No notable public record of formal advocacy campaigns, public disputes, or documented civic actions was found beyond his 2025 federal candidacy itself. SSelf-stated — INDIANLINK-SCULLINIndian Link, "Meet Loki Sangarya, Greens candidate for Scullin" (2025)View source
His self-stated campaign motivation cites having 'worked on infrastructure projects directly reducing emissions' in 2022 as an engineer, prompting his political involvement after Labor approved new fossil fuel projects. SSelf-stated — INDIANLINK-SCULLINIndian Link, "Meet Loki Sangarya, Greens candidate for Scullin" (2025)View source
No independently verifiable or third-party-reported details of a specific named campaign, dispute, or advocacy record were located. SSelf-stated — INDIANLINK-SCULLINIndian Link, "Meet Loki Sangarya, Greens candidate for Scullin" (2025)View source
Greens candidate for the federal seat of Scullin (Vic.) at the 2025 Australian federal election. VVerified — AEC-SCULLIN, WIKI-SCULLIN-RESULTS, ABC-SCULLIN-2025Australian Electoral Commission, "Scullin, VIC — Tally Room (2025 federal election)" (2025)View sourceWikipedia, "Electoral results for the Division of Scullin"View sourceABC News, "Scullin — Federal Election 2025 guide/results"View source
Received 9,090 first-preference votes (9.4% of the formal vote, a swing of -1.4%), placing third behind Labor's Andrew Giles (who retained the seat) and the Liberal candidate; did not proceed to the two-candidate-preferred count. VVerified — AEC-SCULLIN, WIKI-SCULLIN-RESULTS, ABC-SCULLIN-2025Australian Electoral Commission, "Scullin, VIC — Tally Room (2025 federal election)" (2025)View sourceWikipedia, "Electoral results for the Division of Scullin"View sourceABC News, "Scullin — Federal Election 2025 guide/results"View source
No prior candidacy for Darebin City Council or any other Victorian state or local government election was found in sources reviewed. RReported — ELECTIONTRACKER-PRESTON, GREENS-SANGARYAAustralian Election Tracker, "Preston — candidates"View sourceAustralian Greens Victoria, "Loki Sangarya"View source
Campaign, money & endorsements
Campaign logistics
Endorsements & Donations
Per the VEC's own funding guidance, accessed 2026-08-29, a candidate is eligible for public funding if they receive at least 4% of first-preference votes or are elected, with the amount calculated against an audited campaign-expenditure statement and vote count up to legislated maximums, and full repayment required if the candidate contests the election but is neither elected nor receives at least 4% of first-preference votes.