State polls: Straight fights in 27 out of 36 seats in Negri Sembilan

SEREMBAN: Twenty-seven of the 36 state seats in Negri Sembilan will see a straight fight between the Pakatan Harapan-Barisan Nasional coalition and Perikatan Nasional in the Aug 12 state polls.

There will be three-cornered fights in seven constituencies and a four-cornered one in two.

The three-cornered fights will be in Klawang, Lenggeng, Temiang, Ampangan, Bukit Kepayang, Mambau and Paroi while four-cornered battles have shaped up in Nilai and Sikamat.

Umno deputy president and Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, who has held Rantau since 2004, will be challenged by Rozmal Malakan while DAP secretary-general and Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook, who is vying for his third term in Chennah, will face Rosmaidi Arif.

Both Rozmal and Rosmaidi are from Perikatan.

Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun, who first won Sikamat in 2008, will be challenged by Perikatan’s Ahmad Raihan Muhamad Hilal and independents Bujang Abu and Mohammed Hafiz Baharuddin.

There will also be a four-cornered fight in Nilai where its incumbent J.Arul Kumar will be challenged by Perikatan’s Gan Chee Biow and independents Omar Mohd Isa and Yessu Samuel.

State Umno chief Datuk Seri Jalaluddin Alias, who is also Jelebu MP, will be up against Perikatan’s Amirudin Hasan or popularly known as Cikgu Amir for the Pertang seat.

Najib Isa, the son of former mentri besar Tan Sri Mohd Isa Abdul Samad will be making his political debut in Bagan Pinang where he will be challenged by Perikatan’s Abdul Fatah Zakaria, also known as Ustaz Fatah.

In Klawang, Danni Rais, who is the son of former Dewan Negara president Tan Sri Rais Yatim and contesting under the Perikatan banner, will challenge Pakatan’s incumbent Datuk Bakri Sawir.

Ampangan will also be a closely watched seat as its incumbent, Datuk Dr Mohamad Rafie Ab Malek, who won the seat on a PKR ticket in 2018, will now be vying for a second term as an independent.

The former state exco, who was not picked by PKR to defend the seat, will be up against Pakatan’s Tengku Zamrah Tengku Sulaiman and Perikatan’s Muhammad Ghazali Zainal Abidin.

Muda’s sole representative Qusyairy Ahmad will try his luck in Temiang, where he will be up against Pakatan’s incumbent Ng Chin Tsai and Perikatan’s Chua Eng Pu.

In the 2018 polls, Pakatan Harapan won 20 seats while Barisan bagged the remaining 16.