KUALA LUMPUR: MIC is ready to hold party elections for the 2021-2024 term this year and will proceed when approval is given by the government, said secretary-general Datuk M. Asojan.

He said the party had already carried out part of the election process, including the branch and presidential elections.

"MIC is just waiting for the government's permission as it cannot hold any party elections now.

"The branch elections were held from April 5 to May 5 while the nomination for the presidential election took place on May 26," he told Bernama when contacted today.

Tan Sri S. A. Vigneswaran has been returned unopposed as the president of MIC for the 2021-2024 term.

Asojan said divisional, state and national level elections including top posts such as deputy president, three vice-presidents and the 23 posts in the Central Working Committee (CWC) would be contested after this.

He assured that the election process would follow the standard operating procedures (SOP) set if it was allowed to be held during the National Recovery Plan (PPN) period.

The decision to proceed with the party elections was made at the CWC meeting chaired by Vigneswaran on February.

It is expected that more than 20,000 committee members from more than 4,000 branches nationwide will fulfill their responsibility in determining the 75-year-old party's central leadership.

-- BERNAMA