Nomination for Sungai Besar by-election closes, three file papers

They are Budiman Mohd Zohdi of Barisan Nasional, Dr Abdul Rani Osman of PAS and Azhar Abdul Shukur of Amanah.

Returning officer Mohd Khairuddin Md Som is set to announce the names of the candidates.

Deputy Prime Minister and UMNO vice-president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi accompanied Budiman, who is the state assemblyman for Sungai Panjang, to the nomination centre.

They marched with a group of supporters from Dataran Tonggak 10, about 500 metres away, and arrived at the centre at about 8.30am.

Several BN leaders who also accompanied Budiman were MCA president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai, BN Sungai Besar by-election director Tan Sri Noh Omar and BN secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor.

Dr Abdul Rani, who is the state assemblyman for Meru, was accompanied to the centre by Selangor PAS commissioner Datuk Iskandar Abdul Samad and PAS election director Datuk Mustafa Ali. They arrived just before 9am.

Azhar came to the centre at 8.45am, accompanied by PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali, DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang and several Amanah leaders led by president Mohamad Sabu.

The by-election has been necessitated by the death of the MP, Tan Sri Noriah Kasnon, in a helicopter crash in Sarawak on May 5.

In the 13th general election, in 2013, Noriah defeated the PAS candidate, Mohamed Salleh M. Hussin, with a majority of 399 votes.

Sungai Besar has 42,655 registered voters, comprising 42,365 ordinary voters, 286 early voters and four absentee voters who are abroad.