DAP members allowed to contest both state and parliamentary seats

Chow, who is also Penang Chief Minister, said the party does not have a policy barring members from contesting both state and parliamentary seats.

"There is no such policy and in some states, candidates have contested in both before. It is up to the state committee to make recommendations (for dual candidacies)," he told reporters here today.

He also said Penang DAP would interview its incumbent state assemblymen soon to get their views on the coming state elections.

Chow hoped that the coming polls would not see multi-cornered fights, which he felt were more likely to result in certain candidates losing their deposits.

''In the last elections, we saw candidates losing their deposits in multi-cornered contests," he said.

''That is why we are hoping for straight fights," he said when asked about the possibility of multi-cornered fights following the Malaysian United Democratic Alliance's decision to go it alone in the coming six state polls.

Penang, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Kedah, Terengganu and Kelantan are expected to hold simultaneous state elections soon.