Sarawak DAP expects to win at least 22 state seats

Even though the Sarawak Pakatan Harapan (an opposition pact comprising the DAP, Parti Keadilan Rakyat and Parti Amanah Negara) is yet to reach a consensus on seat allocation in the coming Sarawak state election, the Sarawak DAP has prematurely said it will win at least 22 seats.

Its chairman Chong Chieng Jen said Sarawak DAP would contest at least 18 rural seats and was confident of winning five to 10 seats.

"We are confident of making a breakthourgh in the rural area in the state election. On top of that, I think we have a fair chance to retain the 12 seats that we won in the previous state election," he told a media conference here today.

Prior to this, Sarawak DAP announced that it would contest 30 seats while Amanah also announced it would contest 13 seats, including in the rural and urban constituencies.

State PKR chairman Baru Bian had also announced PKR was expected to contest 40 seats and there was no overlapping claims over seats.

However PAS, which is not included in the Pakatan Harapan, had announced it would contest in 11 seats this time.

This coming election will see 11 new seats following the electoral redelineation by the Election Commisison last year, making it a total of 82 seats.

In the 2011 state election, BN holds 55 out of 71 seats in the Sarawak state legislative assembly while DAP won 12 seats (Padungan, Pending, Kota Sentosa, Batu Kawa, Jepok, Meradong, Bukit Assek, Dudong, Pelawan, Kidurong, Piasau, and Pujut), PKR three seats (Batu Lintang, Krian and Ba'Kelalan) and one Independent seat (Pelagus).