Jubilant mood: Mohamad Yusri (centre) together with (from left) Perak Umno information chief Datuk Hang Tuah Din, Umno secretary-general Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki, Saarani, Dr Mah and (right) Ipoh Timur MP Howard Lee celebrating the Barisan win at the Election Commission’s tallying centre. — RONNIE CHIN/The Star
TAPAH: Barisan Nasional has maintained its flawless by-election record since 2022 by winning the Ayer Kuning state seat.
Last night, Tapah Umno secretary Dr Mohamad Yusri Bakir secured 11,065 votes, defeating Perikatan Nasional’s Abd Muhaimin Malek and KS Bawani of Parti Sosialis Malaysia with a majority of 5,006 votes.
Abd Muhaimin garnered 6,059 votes, while Bawani received 1,106.
The result was announced by returning officer Ahmad Redhauddin Ahmad Shokori at the counting centre in Dewan Merdeka here.
The win, which had been widely anticipated, underscored the continued strength of the Barisan-Pakatan Harapan alliance.
In the past two years, Barisan defended its Pelangai and Mahkota state seats and reclaimed the Nenggiri state seat with Pakatan’s help.
The outcome also indicated that voters were largely unmoved by the issues exploited by Perikatan, with the most prominent one related to pig farms.
Some voters have reportedly voiced out that they wanted a friendly and approachable candidate while also wanting the elected representative to look into the local issues raised by them.
These included improving public infrastructures, more development and business opportunities and farmland matters.
The by-election was called following the death of incumbent assemblyman, Tapah Umno chief Ishsam Shahruddin, in February.
In the 15th General Election (GE15), the late Ishsam polled 9,088 votes and won by a 2,213 majority, defeating Pakatan’s Mohd Nazri Hashim (6,875 votes), Perikatan’s Muhammad Noor Farid (6,812), Bawani (586) and Pejuang’s Maziah Salim (105).
According to the Election Commission, Barisan retained all the polling districts (PDMs) it had won in GE15 and flipped three previously held by Perikatan.
Perikatan managed to only retain Tanjong Keramat, but lost Kampung Batu Tiga, Changkat Petai and Kampung Batu Mesjid.
In Kampung Batu Tiga, Barisan increased its tally from 542 to 679 votes, while Perikatan’s votes dropped from 619 to 568.
In Changkat Petai, Barisan received 661, up from 595 in 2022, while Perikatan’s support slipped from 661 to 587.
Despite winning the Tanjong Keramat PDM, Perikatan’s votes dropped from 505 to 468, while Barisan support rose from 346 to 380.
As for Bawani, it was a mere consolation as she managed to secure more votes than in GE15.
