SEREMBAN: Pakatan Harapan, Barisan Nasional and Parti Pribumi Bersatu will be involved in three-cornered fights in 12 of the 36 state constituencies in the Aug 1 Negri Sembilan polls.
Pakatan, Perikatan Nasional and Bersatu will meanwhile square off in eight. The Election Commission said Pakatan and Barisan will face off in straight fights in nine constituencies while Pakatan and Perikatan battle it out in two others.
The seats that will see straight fights between Pakatan and Barisan are Chennah, Bahau, Pilah, Johol, Chembong, Rantau, Chuah, Gemencheh and Repah. Pakatan will also defend Lobak and Bukit Kepayang in straight fights with Perikatan.
Commission chairman Datuk Seri Ramlan Harun said 103 candidates filed their nomination papers this morning and all were accepted. Of the 103 candidates, 94 are men.
"Overall, we will be seeing straight fights in 11 constituencies and three-corner battles in 21," he told reporters at the commission's office at Wisma Persekutuan near here.
Pertang, Sg Lui, Klawang, Serting, Palong, Lenggeng, Temiang, Sikamat, Ampangan, Juasseh, Seri Menanti, Senaling, Labu, Mambau, Seremban Jaya, Paroi, Kota, Lukut, Bagan Pinang, Linggi and Gemas will all see a three-way battle. He said the most number of candidates will be in Nilai and Sri Tanjung with five each, and four-cornered battles will take place in Rahang and Jeram Padang.
Pakatan he said will be fielding candidates in all 36 state seats followed by Barisan (25), Bersatu (24), Perikatan (11), independents (four) and Parti Sosialis, Parti Berjasa and Parti Orang Asli with one each.
Among the incumbents who will be defending their seats are caretaker Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun who will be vying for the Barisan stronghold of Linggi. The four-term Sikamat assemblyman will be up against incumbent Datuk Mohd Faizal Ramli and Bersatu's Datuk Zamri Md Said. In the last polls, Faizal won the seat with a majority of 1,461 votes in a straight fight.
DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke Siew Fook who is defending Chennah which he had held since 2013 will be up against Barisan's Siow Kong Choon. Loke, who is also state DAP chief, won the seat with a 2,200 vote majority in the last polls.
State Barisan Nasional chairman Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan is also facing a straight fight for the Rantau seat which he has held since 2004. He will be up against Pakatan's Dr Azizul Hakim Mahdi. Mohamad retained the seat with a majority of 10,280 votes in 2023.
State MCA chief Datuk Leaw Kok Chan will be involved in a three-cornered fight for Temiang against Pakatan's Ho Weng Wah and Bersatu's Fazly Hamid.
In Nilai, Pakatan's incumbent J. Arul Kumar will be challenged by Berjasa's Zamani Ibrahim, independent Omar Mohd Isa, Barisan's Alan Lai and Bersatu's V. Saravana Kumar in a five-cornered contest. It will be the same in Sri Tanjung where the incumbent Dr G. Rajasekaran will also be challenged by Barisan's A. Achutan, Bersatu's M. Leevinesh and independents Datuk A. Saravanan and Islah Wahyudi Zainudin. The four-cornered fights will be in Jeram Padang and Rahang.
Ramlan said Pakatan's Datuk Abd Latif A Tambi who is contesting the Gemencheh seat is the oldest candidate while Bersatu's Leevinesh is the youngest at 23. He reminded candidates and political parties that the campaign period will end at 11.59pm on July 31.
"The EC has set up 36 enforcement teams to monitor activities during the campaign period from today till then," he said.
Ramlan reminded candidates that campaign materials that can be used, such as advertisements, leaflets, stickers and posters, must carry the name and address of the printer and publisher. This ruling does not include flags, party symbol posters and pictures of party leaders or contesting candidates.
"Campaign materials containing words that can promote ill-will, have racial elements, or touch upon religious sensitivities or incitement that can cause hostility are strictly not allowed," he added.
