MIC may be in with a chance to win Teluk Intan at the first attempt in the general election, but it will certainly be an uphill task, analysts have said.

Political analyst G. Manimaran said the party will have to step up the campaign strategy it used in the Johor and Malacca elections to capture the seat.

“In terms of political strategy, MIC’s move to give up Cameron Highlands and contest in Teluk Intan is seen as a safe move. 

“There is a chance that MIC will win Teluk Intan, but it will be a tough fight,” Manimaran, one of the authors of “Pilihan Raya Demokrasi Malaysia, Tanding, Pilih, Menang, Tadbir”, said.

Political analyst B. Anbumani said that the Indian party must field a candidate acceptable to the local community.

“MIC should not field a parachute candidate in Teluk Intan. The decision to move to Teluk Intan carries political risks for the party and Barisan Nasional (BN). They must remember the services and sacrifices of the party (MIC),” he said.

Meanwhile, Teluk Intan MIC co-ordinator T. Murugiah said the party had laid a strong groundwork in the area since 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Taiping-born MIC vice president, who was raised in Sitiawan not far from Teluk Intan, said he had been spending weekends in the constituency since 2019, and would remain there until the election.

“During the movement control order (MCO), MIC provided food to Teluk Intan residents. MIC also provides assistance for flood victims,” he added.

Murugiah, who was an army officer and a teacher before entering politics, said Teluk Intan has 87,000 registered voters, more than 17,000 (nearly 20%) of them are from the Indian community, with Malays and Chinese accounting for 40% each.

In 2013, DAP’s Seah Leong Peh beat Gerakan president Mah Siew Keong with a majority of 7,313 votes.

However, the seat became vacant after Seah’s death and Mah regained the seat by defeating DAP candidate Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud with a majority of 238 votes.

In 2018, Perak DAP chairman Nga Kor Ming won the Teluk Intan seat, defeating Mah by a majority of 11,179 votes. – Bernama, October 22, 2022.