It's Kit Siang Vs Ghani Othman at Gelang Patah

It will be a straight fight for the Gelang Patah parliamentary seat between Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Ghani Othman of the Barisan Nasional (BN) and DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang.

What was to have been a three-cornered contest did not materialise when R. Rajandren submitted his nomination as an independent candidate and withdrew it 15 minutes before nomination closed.

Abdul Ghani arrived at the nomination centre at the Johor Baharu Tengah Municipal Council Hall here at 9.10 am, about five minutes earlier than Lim.

Rajandren, 55, the MIC Skudai Baru branch chairman and a former serviceman, was at the nomination centre shortly after it opened at 9 am, with his proposer, seconder and supporters.

Ghani was present at the nomination centre with Dr Zaini Abu Bakar and Liang Ah Chye, the BN candidates for the state seats of Nusajaya and Skudai, respectively, in the Gelang Patah parliamentary constituency.

Lim was accompanied by Johor DAP chairman Dr Boo Cheng Hau, who is contesting the Skudai seat and a representative of PAS vice-president Salahuddin Ayub, who is going for the Nusajaya state seat as well as Pulai parliamentary seat.

Abdul Ghani submitted his nomination papers at 9.30 am, about 10 minutes after Kit Siang.

Rajandren, who filed his papers at 9.05 am, decided to forgo his candidacy 15 minutes before the nomination centre closed at 10 am.