Budiman is BN's pick for Sungai Besar polls

Zahid (third from left) congratulating Budiman.

SUNGAI BESAR: Barisan Nasional has picked Sungai Panjang assemblyman Budiman Mohd Zohdi of Umno to be its candidate in the Sungai Besar by-election.  

Announcing this to the crowd here Friday, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said a lot of groundwork had been done before the candidate was chosen by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, who is also Barisan chairman.  

"These may be difficult times but we will overcome and win this by-election if our machineries and component parties work hard," he said.  

He said Barisan would only choose a local boy who had the support of all grassroots members. 

Dr Ahmad Zahid, who is also Umno vice-president and assumes the duties of the party deputy president following the suspension of Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, said this when launching Barisan’s election machinery in Sungai Panjang here on Friday night. 

Budiman, 44, who hails from Kampung Sungai Limau here, is also the Selangor Barisan assemblymen's club secretary.   

He is currently pursuing a doctorate in Political Science at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and is married to Norma Aida Abdullah. The couple have a 16-year-old daughter. 

In the 2013 general election, Budiman won the Sungai Panjang state seat after defeating Mohd Fadzin Taslimin of PAS by a majority of 2,183 votes. 

The Election Commission has set June 5 as nomination day and June 18 as polling day for the by-election.  

The seat fell vacant following the death of Datuk Noriah Kasnon, the MP of Sungai Besar, in a helicopter crash in Sarawak on May 5.