B.C. politicians were all smiles at the annual Vaisakhi parade in Vancouver Saturday, and while they maintained they weren’t there to campaign – some voters disagreed.

The parade, held as a harvest celebration for Sikhs, has been celebrated for thousands of years with dancing, eating and singing.

Meanwhile, premier Christy Clark and BC NDP leader Adrian Dix were singing familiar tunes as the kick-off to their campaigns draws near.

Both said they were not targeting the South-Asian community – a key demographic in the upcoming May 14 election – for votes by attending the event.

“This is an event I’ve been coming to for years, whether there’s an election or not,” Dix said.

“This isn’t political,” Clark said. “This is about the South-Asian community and the huge contribution the Sikhs have made to our country and our world.”

Later, the premier took the stage at the Sikh temple in South Vancouver and declared “I think it’s time there was an Indian gate to welcome people to the Punjabi market.”

Dix was quick to criticize his competition, pointing to the “ethnic vote scandal” – in which the Liberals apologized for a leaked plan to use public money to woo ethnic votes.

“I think the problem with what they did, as you know, is they confused the Liberal party and the government of B.C.,” Dix said. “I think it’s important to be respectful of everyone.”

The BC Liberals also came under fire for accusations of vote buying when they announced the $11-million taxpayer-funded Bollywood awards show that took place in Vancouver earlier this month.

But the NDP has also received criticism over one of its candidates, Gabriel Yiu, a former political outreach worker accused of funding partisan activities with public money.

It’s making the decision a tough one for many British Columbians of South-Asian descent.

“This year my mind is kind of turning around both ways. I don’t know whether to go NDP or Liberal,” said parade attendee Jeff Johal. “I’m kind of feeling both ways.”

Harbinder Jassal said the politicans were definitely targeting the ethnic vote.

“You see it here, you saw it last week at the TOIFA award. I think the South-Asian population is huge for not only politics, but the scope of Vancouver and B.C. anyways.”

With a report from CTV British Columbia’s Scott Roberts