SEVERAL leaders of different parties are contesting both state and parliamentary seats in the November 19 general election.

Leading the charge is PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, who is vying for the Kubang Kerian parliamentary seat in Kelantan and Cheka state seat in Pahang on the Perikatan Nasional (PN) ticket.

Caretaker deputy communications and multimedia minister Zahidi Zainul Abidin, who has been dropped as a candidate by Barisan Nasional (BN), is defending his Padang Besar parliamentary seat and contesting the Titi Tinggi state seat in Perlis as an Independent.

DAP, which is contesting under the Pakatan Harapan (PH) banner, is fielding two leaders for both parliamentary and state seats, namely Perak DAP chairman Nga Kor Ming (Kepayang state and Teluk Intan parliamentary seats) and Tengku Zulpuri Shah Raja Puji (Tras state and Lipis parliamentary seats in Pahang).

Semporna PKR division vice-head Arastam Pandorog is contesting the Bugaya state seat in a by-election and the Semporna parliamentary seat.

Bugaya has been vacant since its representative, Manis Muka Mohd Darah, died on November 17, 2020 of kidney-related ailments.

Several states that did not dissolve their legislative assemblies together with the Dewan Rakyat are also seeing a few assemblymen, including two menteris besar and a chief minister, vying for parliamentary seats.

They are Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari, who is Sungai Tua assemblyman, in the Gombak seat; Negri Sembilan Menteri Besar Aminuddin Harun (Sikamat assemblyman) in the Port Dickson seat; and Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow (Padang Kota assemblyman) in the Batu Kawan constituency.

Negri Sembilan is seeing six assemblymen, including Aminuddin, vie for parliamentary seats, namely Rantau assemblyman Mohamad Hasan in Rembau, Serting assemblyman Shamshulkahar Mohd Deli (Jempol), Senaling assemblyman Adnan Abu Hassan (Kuala Pilah), Gemencheh assemblyman Isam Mohd Isa (Tampin) and Chennah assemblyman Anthony Loke Siew Fook (Seremban).

Amanah is fielding two assemblymen in parliamentary contests, namely vice-president and Bukit Katil assemblyman Adly Zahari in Alor Gajah and deputy president and Simpang Jeram assemblyman Salahuddin Ayub in Pulai.

Six states – Selangor, Negri Sembilan, Penang, Kedah, Terengganu and Kelantan – decided not to hold their state polls together with the general election on the grounds that they want to focus on the people’s welfare and that year-end floods could disrupt the polls.

Johor, Malacca, Sabah and Sarawak are also not holding their state polls because they held theirs over the last two years.

Polling is on November 19 and early voting is on November 15. – Bernama, November 5, 2022.