GE15: MIC expected to contest in Teluk Intan, Padang Serai

KUALA LUMPUR: Despite announcing that it will continue to contest in all nine of its traditional parliamentary seats in the 15th General Election (GE15), MIC is expected to give up one and try its luck in two new seats.

According to sources in the party, MIC is expected to contest the Teluk Intan seat in Perak in place of Cameron Highlands (Pahang) that was given to UMNO during a by-election in 2019.

The matter is said to have been discussed with UMNO on the condition that the Indian party was given an alternative seat, that is Teluk Intan, with MIC vice president Datuk T. Murugiah appointed as the coordinator in the constituency.

The Cameron Highlands by-election was held after the Election Court on Nov 30, 2018 declared the victory of Datuk C. Sivarraajh from Barisan Nasional (BN) in the 14th General Election (GE-14) null and void when it was found that corrupt practices had occurred to influence voters there.

However, BN defended the Cameron Highlands seat after its candidate Ramli Mohd Nor, from the Semai Orang Asli community, won the by-election with a majority of 3,238 votes.

In GE14, MIC contested nine parliamentary seats namely Sungai Siput and Tapah in Perak; Sungai Buloh, Hulu Selangor, Kapar and Kota Raja (Selangor); Port Dickson (Negeri Sembilan); Segamat (Johor) and Cameron Highlands (Pahang) but only won in Tapah and Cameron Highlands and was left with only Tapah when the latter went to UMNO.

Meanwhile, MIC is also expected to contest in Padang Serai (Kedah) for the first time in GE15 as an additional seat, taking over from MCA and Sivarraajh being appointed as the coordinator for the constituency.

Sivarraajh, who is also a former MIC vice president, said he had worked in the area for more than two years since 2019 after the former Cameron Highlands MP succeeded in his appeal to overturn the decision of the Election Commission (EC) which prohibited him from contesting or voting in elections for five years.

"I have worked in Padang Serai for over two years and have helped the community in this area during the Movement Control Order (MCO) following the COVID-19 pandemic," he said when contacted today.

He filed for a judicial review on Dec 31, 2018 to apply for an order to set aside the decision of the EC, which was communicated to him by a letter dated Dec 28, 2018, disallowing him from contesting or voting in any election for five years from Dec 13, 2018.

Following the EC decision, Sivarraajh could not contest in the Cameron Highlands by-election.

In GE14, Teluk Intan , contested by Gerakan President Datuk Seri Mah Siew Keong for BN, fell to DAP when Perak DAP chairman Nga Kor Ming won with a majority of 11,179 votes while BN's MCA candidate Datuk Dr Leong Yong Kong in Padang Serai lost to PKR candidate Karupaiya Mutusami, who won with a majority of 8,813 votes.

-- BERNAMA