On 18 October 2022, Sharma resigned from Parliament, claiming that Labour leader Jacinda Ardern was planning to wait until the 2023 New Zealand general election was less than six months away and then invoke the Electoral (Integrity) Amendment Act 2018, also known as waka-jumping legislation.

This would vacate Sharma's Hamilton West seat late enough in the 53rd Parliament to avoid a by-election, leaving the electorate unrepresented.

"[1] The Labour Party candidate was Georgie Dansey (Ngāti Tūwharetoa), the chief executive of the Independent Schools Education Association.

[17][18][19] Others who had been seen as possible Labour candidates included Dan Steer, an electorate staffer and candidate in the Hamilton City Council's 2022 local elections, and city councillor Maxine van Oosten, who declined to seek nomination citing commitments as the council's Finance and Monitoring Committee chairperson.

[20] The National Party candidate was Tama Potaka, chief executive of Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki.

[25][26][20][27][28] The New Zealand Herald's political editor, Claire Trevett, consequently wrote that the party had effectively implemented a "white-man ban".

[30] TOP's 2020 candidate for Hamilton West, Hayden Cargo, had moved to Auckland and taken up the role of Party Secretary.

The Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party selected pilot, and non-cannabis user, Peter Wakeman as their candidate.

[23][45] The day after her candidacy was announced, Labour's Georgie Dansey was seen at an ambush protest against her own party's health minister, Andrew Little.

[46] In a subsequent Facebook post on 2 November 2022, Dansey denied being part of the ambush protest, saying "I was at the uni today in my capacity as an education sector union rep.

[47] On 5 November Sharma was ordered by Parliamentary Service chief executive Rafael Gonzalez-Montero to remove a sign outside his former electorate office stating he was the MP for Hamilton West, which was incorrect after his resignation.

[49][50] During the policy announcement, Potaka said that Hamilton had become known as the "ramraid capital of New Zealand" in reference to the nationwide surge in ram raids in 2022.

National's Tama Potaka was on 46% of decided voters, Labour's Georgie Dansey with 33%, ACT's James McDowall on 12% and Sharma on 4%.