One of the candidates for the leadership of the Saskatchewan NDP wants fellow candidate Dwain Lingenfelter's name off the ballot.

Yens Pedersen, one of four candidates in the running to replace Lorne Calvert, is making the call in the wake of a controversy over party membership applications.

Lingenfelter's campaign paid for 1,100 memberships in the Meadow Lake area, even though some of the people didn't know they were included or simply didn't want to be members of the NDP, the party said this week.

Lingenfelter, whose campaign spent more than $10,000 on the memberships, said this week it was a mistake by an overenthusiastic volunteer, with no wrongdoing intended.

Pedersen said if Lingenfelter's explanation is true, the perception of wrongdoing is still hurting the party.

"If Dwain truly believes in the objectives and principles of the party, then for the good of the party I think he should be stepping down," he said.

The other candidates, Ryan Meili and Deb Higgins, haven't gone that far, but they all agree that a party review of the case must be as transparent as possible.

They say that way, people inside and outside the party can have faith in its integrity.

Lingenfelter, a former deputy premier who had raised more money than the other three candidates combined and was considered a frontrunner, did not respond to requests for an interview by CBC News.

Political parties typically sell a lot of memberships before leadership contests because being a member allows a person to vote for their chosen candidate.

NDP members vote for their leader on June 6.