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KAJANG: The atmosphere was lively in the vicinity of the nomination centre for the Semenyih state by-election as the supporters of the potential candidates gathered as early as 7.30 am for the nomination process at the Seri Cempaka Hall of the Kajang Municipal Council in Saujana Impian here.
Supporters of Pakatan Harapan (PH) had gathered at the parking lot to the right of the hall, supporters of Barisan Nasional (BN) behind the hall and supporters of Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) to the left of the hall.
The police cordoned off the roads within a radius of about 50 metres from the hall at 6.30 am and, according to a source, stationed 733 personnel in the area around the hall to ensure security and smooth flow of traffic.
The weather was fine and this is expected to ensure a smooth nomination process which is scheduled for an hour from 9 am.
The Semenyih state by-election is being held following the death of the assemblyman, Bakhtiar Mohd Nor, 57, of PH of a heart attack on Jan 11.
The potential candidates for this by-election are Muhammad Aiman Zainali of PH, Zakaria Hanafi of BN, Nik Aziz Afiq Abdul of PSM and Community Policing Malaysia president Kuan Chee Heng who is better known as Uncle Kentang.
In the 14th general election, Bakhtiar had polled 23,428 votes to beat Datuk Johan Abdul Aziz of BN, Mad Shahmidur Mat Kosim of PAS and S. Arutchelvan of PSM. He had secured a majority of 8,964 votes.
Polling in the Semenyih state by-election is set for March 2. Early voting is on Feb 26. — Bernama
