Negeri Sembilan sees 21 three-cornered fights and two five-way battles among 36 seats in the upcoming state election.
KUALA LUMPUR: The 16th Negeri Sembilan State Election will feature contests involving some of the country’s leading political figures clashing in battles ranging from straight fights to five-cornered contests.
Of the 36 State Legislative Assembly seats up for grabs, 11 constituencies will see straight fights, down from 27 in the previous state election. Twenty-one seats will have three-cornered contests, up from seven in the 2023 state polls, two will see a four-cornered clash and two will see a five-cornered tussle.
In the 2023 state election, no constituencies recorded five-cornered contests.
Among the straight fights, the Chennah state seat will see DAP secretary-general and Transport Minister Anthony Loke representing Pakatan Harapan (PH) contesting against Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate Siow Kong Choon.
The Rantau state seat will see UMNO deputy president and Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan (BN) defending the seat against PH candidate Dr Azizul Hakim Mahdi.
In the three-cornered contest, the Linggi state seat will see PKR vice-president and Negeri Sembilan Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun (PH) challenged by Datuk Mohd Faizal Ramli (BN) and Zamri Md Said of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu).
Negeri Sembilan UMNO Liaison Committee chairman Datuk Seri Jalaluddin Alias (BN) will contest the Pertang state seat in a three-cornered fight against Mohd Umry Abdul Khois (PH) and Mohd Faizal Fadli Mohd Idrus (Bersatu).
In the Klawang state seat, Danni Rais, the son of veteran politician Tan Sri Rais Yatim, representing Perikatan Nasional (PN), will square off against incumbent Datuk Bakri Sawir (PH) and Muhammad Adib Musa from Bersatu.
Four-cornered contests will take place in two constituencies. In Jeram Padang, incumbent Datuk Mohd Zaidy Abdul Kadir (BN) will be challenged by G. Manivannan (PH), R. Sri Sanjeevan (Bersatu), and Dayana Dal (Parti Orang Asli Malaysia).
The Rahang state seat will also see a four-way tussle with incumbent Siaw Meow Keong (PH) facing Yap Siok Moy (BN), S. Thinagaran (Parti Sosialis Malaysia), and Tang Jay San (Bersatu).
Two constituencies, Nilai and Sri Tanjung, will see five-cornered contests.
Nilai state seat incumbent J. Arul Kumar (PH) will defend his seat against Lai Chien Kong (BN), Datuk V. Saravana Kumar (Bersatu), Zamani Ibrahim of Barisan Jemaah Islamiah Se-Malaysia (Berjasa), and Independent candidate Omar Mohd Isa.
In the Sri Tanjung state seat, incumbent Datuk Dr G. Rajasekaran (PH) will be tested by A. Achuthan (BN), M. Leevineshwaraan (Bersatu), alongside two Independent candidates, Datuk A. Saravanan and Islah Wahyudi Zainudin.
The Election Commission (EC) has set July 28 for early voting in the Negeri Sembilan state election, with polling day on Aug 1.
A total of 889,490 electors are eligible to vote, including 867,151 ordinary voters, 16,884 military personnel and their spouses, and 5,455 police personnel.
