Kajang by-election: Polling centres closed at 5pm

All 15 polling centres in the Kajang state by-election were closed at 5pm on Sunday.

The centres were at Sekolah Rendah Agama Batu 10, Cheras; Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Seri Sekamat; SK Saujana Impian; Sekolah Menengah Agama Persekutuan Kajang; SK Sungai Kantan; Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Tinggi Kajang, SMK Convent Kajang and Sekolah Rendah Jenis Kebangsaan (C) Sungai Chua, Kampung Baru Sungai Chua Village Development and Security Committee Hall; Sungai Chua's Rukun Tetangga Centre and Unity Nursery; Sungai Chua Community Hall; Sekolah Agama Rakyat (Kafa Integrasi) Taman Delima; SK Kantan Permai; SK Kajang; and Mukim Cheras Penghulu Complex.

There were no untoward incidents except for provocative gestures displayed by opposition supporters who carried water spinach and mimicked the bomoh to taunt the government.

These antics, which took place while opposition leaders visited the Sungai Kantan polling centre, drew a hostile reaction from Barisan Nasional (BN) supporters.

The EC expects voter turnout percentage to be as high as 80 per cent, and until 4pm, 25,511 voters or 67.04 per cent of 38,055 voters exercised their rights.

The counting of votes is expected to start at 6pm at the vote tally centre at the Bangi Sports Complex and the official result is expected to be announced as early as 9pm.

The by-election was a straight fight between the BN and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR). The BN is represented by MCA vice-president Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun and PKR, by its president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

However, both of them were not voters in the constituency.

The by-election was necessitated by the sudden resignation of the assemblyman, Lee Chin Cheh of PKR.

In the 13th General Election, held in May last year, Lee won the seat with a majority of 6,824 votes in a six-cornered contest that also involved the BN, Berjasa and three independent candidates.