Bertam, Sungai Dua among hotseats in Penang state polls

The Penang state polls are expected to witness a number of keenly contested state assembly seats that feature 'heavyweights' and are now regarded as hot seats when voters go to the polls on Aug 12.

The Bertam seat, which falls under the Kepala Batas parliamentary constituency, will be the focus of many since the Pakatan Harapan-Barisan Nasional (PH-BN) coalition will field former Housing and Local Government Minister Reezal Merican Naina Merican to take on incumbent Khaliq Mehtab from Bersatu.

In the 14th general election, Khaliq Mehtab from PH (he was in PH then) won by a 219-vote majority after polling 6,485 votes against Shariful Azhar Othman (BN), who received 6,268 votes, while Mokhtar Ramli (PAS) managed 2,986 votes.

Another hot seat identified for the state polls is Sungai Dua, which falls under the Tasek Gelugor Parliamentary constituency and features Umno Supreme Council member Shaik Hussein Mydin against Penang PAS commissioner Muhammad Fauzi Yusoff in a straight fight.

According to Universiti Sains Malaysia political analyst Sivamurugan Pandian, the presence of 'high'profile’ personalities will certainly draw the attention of many when voters go to the polling stations on Aug 12.

"Generally, Kepala Batas (parliamentary constituency) is regarded as Umno and BN's fortress... However, after Reezal Merican’s defeat in the 15th general election, the upcoming state polls would provide a perfect opportunity for BN and Reezal to redeem their pride and restore the party's status, especially after losing the Bertam seat.

"This will not be an easy task for Reezal because his opponent is the incumbent, who is familiar to the voters in the area," he told Bernama in George Town today.

Apart from Bertam and Sungai Dua, Sivamurugan said the Bagan Dalam and Perai seats have also emerged as hot seats because PH candidates (both from DAP) for the two seats will face opponents from former DAP members Satees Muniandy and David Marshel.

Earlier, the Election Commission (EC) confirmed that 95 candidates, including four independent candidates, will be contesting for the 40 state assembly seats in the Penang state polls.

In the Penang state polls this time around, Perai, Pantai Jerejak, Bagan Dalam, and Sungai Pinang will each see four-cornered fights; Padang Lalang, Bukit Tambun, Tanjong Bunga, Air Putih, Kebun Bunga, Pulau Tikus, and Batu Uban feature three-cornered fights; and the rest are one-on-one encounters.

Meanwhile, Penang police chief Khaw Kok Chin said the nomination process at all 23 nomination centres in the state went smoothly and peacefully while police officers were present at all centres.

Khaw also urged all parties, especially political parties involved in the election, to adhere to the procedures set by the authorities to avoid tense situations during the 14-day campaigning period, which started yesterday and ends at 11.59pm on Aug 11.

The EC has set Aug 12 as the date for polling in Selangor, Kedah, Penang, Kelantan, Terengganu, and Negeri Sembilan, while the date for early voting has been set as Aug 8.