Mahkota polls: Voters go to the polls tomorrow

KLUANG: A total of 61,397 voters are set to cast their ballots in the Mahkota state by-election on Saturday.

Polling will take place from 8am to 6pm, with 109 polling streams available at 20 centres. The counting of votes will be conducted at Dewan Tunku Ibrahim Ismail in Kluang.

On Tuesday, 4,437 police and military personnel, along with their spouses, completed their early voting responsibilities in the by-election.

The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) forecasts good weather in Kluang for Saturday (Sept 28) morning, with thunderstorms expected in the afternoon. Temperatures are anticipated to range from 23 to 33 degrees Celsius.

The by-election will see a straight fight between Syed Hussien Syed Abdullah, 40, of Barisan Nasional and Mohamad Haizan Jaafar, 61, of Perikatan Nasional. Syed Hussien is scheduled to vote at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Seri Perdana, while Mohamad Haizan will vote at Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Kampung Melayu.

This by-election is being held following the death of incumbent assemblyman Datuk Sharifah Azizah Syed Zain, 63, who passed away at Hospital Enche’ Besar Hajjah Khalsom on August 2.

In the previous election, Sharifah Azizah, representing Barisan, won with a majority of 5,166 votes in a four-cornered fight against candidates from Pakatan Harapan, Perikatan Nasional and Warisan.

The Mahkota by-election is the fourth by-election this year, following the Kuala Kubu Baru (Selangor), Sungai Bakap (Penang), and Nenggiri (Kelantan) by-elections.

First contested in 2004, the Mahkota seat has seen five elections thus far, with Barisan winning four of them. - Bernama