Budiman is BN candidate for Sungai Besar by-election

Sungai Panjang assemblyman Budiman Mohd Zohdi has been picked as the Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate for the Sungai Besar parliamentary by-election on June 18.

The announcement was made by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who is also UMNO vice-president, when launching the BN election machinery at the BN Command Centre in Sungai Panjang here tonight.

Budiman, 44, who hails from Kampung Sungai Limau here, is also the secretary of the Selangor BN Assemblymen's Club.

Budiman, who is also currently pursuing a doctorate in Political Science at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia is married to Norma Aida Abdullah.

The couple have a 16-year-old daughter.

In the 2013 General Election, Budiman won the Sungai Panjang state seat after defeating Mohd Fadzin Taslimin of PAS by a majority of 2,183 votes.

The Sungai Panjang seat comes under the Sungai Besar Parliamentary constituency.

Nomination is on June 5.

The seat fell vacant following the death of its incumbent, Deputy Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities, Datuk Noriah Kasnon in a helicopter tragedy in Sebuyau, Sarawak on May 5.

In the 13th general election, the late Noriah won by a majority of 399 votes, She garnered 18,695 votes whereas her opponent Mohamed Salleh M.Hussin of PAS obtained 18,296 votes.

Sungai Besar has 42,836 registered voters with 67.18 per cent of them Malays, 30.68 per cent Chinese, 1.91 per cent Indians and 0.23 percent other races.