JOHOR BARU: Indian voters will be a decisive voting block in the upcoming Johor election, as there are 24 seats which each have at least 5% Indian voters, says MIC vice-president Datuk M. Asojan (pic).
He said many of these seats are in mixed areas where the composition of Malay and non-Malay voters are almost equal.
Since the last election, the number of Indian voters has increased by 80,000 reaching to almost 200,000 voters now, he said.
In the 2022 state polls, there were about 120,000 Indian voters.
Kota Iskandar tops the list with the highest number of Indian voters at more than 18,000, followed by Skudai (15,000), Perling (14,700), Tiram (13,800) and Puteri Wangsa (12,882).
“In this election, we will ensure that the Indian community knows what the Barisan Nasional government under the leadership of Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi has done for the community and its future plans,” he said in an interview.
He said among the four seats contested by MIC in the previous polls, Perling had the most Indians voters with 14,700 voters followed by Bukit Batu (4,200), Kemelah (1,900) and Kahang (800).
Asojan said MIC was working towards ensuring Barisan secures more than 60% Indian support in the state. He said under Onn Hafiz, Indians in Johor benefited via various programmes, including Bantuan Kasih Johor (BKJ).
“This initiative is not done just before the election. It is actually a long running programme and is currently in its fourth phase,” he said, adding that this aid was given to all races under Bangsa Johor.
Asojan said the state government had resolved several issues affecting the Indian community in Johor, including a complex for Hindus to carry out final rites in Kampung Teluk Jawa.
“This issue has been around for more than 20 years and it has finally been resolved,” he said, adding that the state had also allocated four parcels of land to relocate four Tamil schools.
He said there is a special committee headed by state MIC chairman K. Raven Kumar who, together with representatives from district and land offices, helps resolve temple issues.
He added that Yayasan Sultanah Rogayah foundation also channels aid to Indian temples and NGOs for the benefit of the community.
“I am confident that with all this being done for the community, the Indian community in Johor will help elect Barisan back to power,” he said.
Some 2.72mil Johoreans are eligible to cast their votes in the July 11 polls, comprising Malay 54%, Chinese 36%, Indian 7% and others 3%.
