KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri M. Saravanan has retained the MIC deputy presidency for the 2021-2024 term after winning the post unopposed in the party elections.

MIC president Tan Sri SA Vigneswaran announced this after Saravanan emerged as the sole candidate for the post after nominations closed at 5 pm.

Nominations for the deputy president, three vice-president, 21 central working committee (CWC) and state committee posts took place from 2 pm to 5 pm at the MIC headquarters here today.

Met by reporters, Saravanan, who is also Human Resources Minister, said empowering the Indian-based party and preparing it for the 15th general election (GE15) will be among his focus.

"This is my first unopposed win in the party elections since joining MIC in 1988. I consider it recognition by the party," he said.

In the 2018 party election, Saravanan, who is also Tapah MP, was elected MIC deputy president after defeating former Perak MIC chairman Tan Sri M Ramasamy.

Meanwhile, six candidates will be vying for the three vice-president posts in this year's election, namely Datuk T. Mohan, Datuk C. Sivaraajh and Datuk T. Murugiah; MIC secretary-general Datuk M.Asojan; executive secretary A.K. Ramalingam and party information chief Datuk V. Gunalan.

Also, 60 nominations were received for the 21 CWC posts, including former deputy education minister Datuk P. Kamalanathan; former party secretary Datuk Sakthivel Alagapan; former youth chief Thinalan Rajagopal and Datuk N. Muneandy.

Some 24,000 committee members from over 4,000 branches nationwide will vote and decide the national leadership of the 75-year-old party on Nov 26.

On May 26, Vigneswaran defended his MIC presidency after also winning the post unopposed.

Party wing elections took place on Oct 30 which saw Tenggaroh assemblyman K. Raven Kumar win the youth chief unopposed while Datuk Mohana Muniandy took the party's women chief post after defeating challenger J. Usha Nandhini.

A.Kishva and R.Puvaneswary also won the Putera and Puteri youth movement head posts

-- BERNAMA