The president of Vancouver's Ross Street Sikh Temple says he's planning to run for Vancouver city council under the Vision Vancouver banner.

Kashmir Dhaliwal says the South Asian community has long been involved in provincial and federal politics but not civic politics.

He said he wants to get the Indo-Canadian community interested in municipal politics by addressing crime within the community, particularly gang violence.

"In [the] past, more than 100 kids are dead, and every day, we hear … [about] a shooting," Dhaliwal said Monday.

Dhaliwal said he isn't campaigning to represent only the large Indo-Canadian community of South Vancouver.

The multicultural neighbourhood, which is home to a large number of immigrant families, has been under the radar politically, and he will be seeking support from all the voters in South Vancouver, he said.

"It's been ignored in the past, and if people from South Vancouver go further, to go to the city hall, we can change it," said Dhaliwal.

Former New Democrat MLA Gregor Robertson leads Vision Vancouver, one of the three larger municipal parties preparing to field candidates in the November 2008 civic election.