The hottest seats to keep an eye on this election, in the order of parliamentary seats.
- Arau (Perlis)
Long considered a BN safe seat with little excitement, things are heating up in Arau now after the coalition axed its incumbent Shahidan Kassim.
Unlike other dropped BN MPs who plan to contest as independents – Shahidan is contesting as a Perikatan Nasional (PN) candidate.
With PAS and Bersatu’s support, Shahidan is expected to give BN’s candidate Rozabil Abd Rahman a run for his money.
PKR’s youth candidate Fathin Amelina Fazlie will also be looking to make her mark.
- Tumpat (Kelantan)
Arau isn’t the only place where an axed incumbent has switched parties.
PN dropped Che Abdullah Mat Nawi for Tumpat – who was then quickly picked up by BN for the seat.
He will be facing PN’s new candidate Mumtaz Md Nawi (PAS).
Others vying for the seat are Harapan’s Wan Mohd Johari Wan Omar (Amanah), GTA’s Che Muhammad Aswari Che Ali (Putra), and Warisan’s Khairul Azuan Kamarrudin.
- Kuala Nerus (Terengganu)
Like in Tumpat, BN is fielding former PAS incumbent Khairuddin Aman Razali for the seat.
Khairuddin helped PAS capture to the seat in 2013 with a slim 610-vote majority before increasing his majority to 8,447 votes in 2018.
He will be facing PN’s Alias Razak from PAS, Harapan’s Suhaimi Hashim (Amanah), and GTA’s Azaha Wahid (Pejuang).
- Sungai Siput (Perak)
Since 1959, the Sungai Siput seat in Perak had been an MIC stronghold.
That was until then MIC president S Samy Vellu lost the seat to Pakatan Rakyat in 2008.
Now, 14 years later, the current MIC president SA Vigneswaran is looking to reclaim the seat for BN.
PKR incumbent S Kesavan, who won the seat by 5,607 votes in 2018, will be defending the seat for Harapan.
PSM, which was PKR’s proxy in the seat in 2008 and 2013, will not be contesting.
On the PN side, Bersatu associate member Irudianathan Gabriel will be vying for the seat while GTA is fielding Pejuang’s Ahmad Fauzi Mohd Jaafar.
- Tambun (Perak)
Perhaps the hottest seat of this election, Tambun may make or break Harapan chairperson Anwar Ibrahim’s attempt at becoming prime minister.
If Anwar loses, it’s game over for him – even if Harapan goes on to form the next government.
Bersatu deputy president Ahmad Faizal Azumu – who won the seat on a Harapan ticket in 2018 – will be looking to stop the prime minister candidate dead in his tracks.
As for BN, they’re fielding Tambun Umno division chief Aminuddin Md Hanafiah for the seat.
GTA is also entering the fray – fielding Abdul Rahman Tahir.
- Tapah (Perak)
MIC deputy president M Saravanan won Tapah in 2018 with a slim 614-vote majority and just 47.1 percent of ballots.
He will have to stave off four opponents to keep the seat.
His top challenger will be PKR’s K Saraswathy, who is making her electoral debut.
Others vying for the seat are PN’s Muhammad Yadzan Mohammad (Bersatu), Warisan’s Mohamed Akbar Sherrif Ali Yasin, GTA’s Mior Nor Haidir Suhaimi (Pejuang), and independent M Kathiravan.
- Pasir Salak (Perak)
BN axed three-term firebrand incumbent Tajuddin Abdul Rahman, much to the chagrin of local Umno warlords.
Their new candidate, former Umno Youth vice-chief Khairul Azwan Harun – better known as Azwan Bro – was initially rejected by the local grassroots.
However, Tajuddin appears to have quelled their anger and is now backing his successor.
Meanwhile, Harapan is fielding Nik Omar Nik Abdul Aziz (PKR) – son of late PAS spiritual advisor Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat – as their candidate.
Other contenders are PN’s Jamaluddin Yahya (PAS), and GTA’s Zairol Hizam Zakaria (Pejuang)
- Bagan Datuk (Perak)
Bagan Datuk is the stronghold of Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who has held the seat since 1995.
Zahid retained the seat in 2018 with a comfortable 5,073-vote majority and 51.4 percent of ballots in a three-cornered fight.
However, this time around, the Umno president will no longer be fighting off political lightweights as he has been over the past two decades.
Harapan is sending giant-slayer Shamsul Iskandar Md Akin (PKR) – who twice defeated former Malacca chief minister Ali Rustam at the polls – to take down Zahid in his home base.
Meanwhile, PN is fielding Bersatu supreme council member Muhammad Faiz Na’aman in the seat as well.
Another contender is Gerak Independent (GI) co-founder Tawfik Ismail, the eldest son of the country’s second deputy prime minister the late Dr Ismail Abdul Rahman.
- Bentong (Pahang)
DAP captured this seat from then-MCA president Liow Tiong Lai in 2018, with environmental activist Wong Tack as their candidate.
This time around, however, DAP has decided to field rising star Young Syefura Othman to defend the seat instead.
This did not sit well with Wong, who declared that he would be running as an independent.
Meanwhile, Liow is aiming to take back his seat and return to frontline politics after having kept a relatively low profile in the past four years.
Other contestants are PN’s Roslan Hassan (Bersatu) and independent Mohd Khalil Abdul Hamid.
- Tanjong Karang (Selangor)
Tanjong Karang is another BN stronghold whose incumbent was axed.
Noh Omar was replaced by Habibah Mohd Yusof.
To avenge Noh, Tanjong Karang Umno member Mohd Rosni Mastol will be running as an independent in protest of the party leadership.
Noh’s departure will deny Muda’s Siti Rahway Baharin – who is representing Harapan – a shot at scalping a minister.
PN is fielding Zulkafperi Hanapi (Bersatu) for the seat while GTA’s representative is Azlan Sani Zawawi (Pejuang).
- Kuala Selangor (Selangor)
Kuala Selangor has changed hands in each of the past three general elections, with the opposition bagging it twice in 2008 and 2018, and BN winning the seat in 2013.
Now, BN is hoping that the constituency’s “adoptive minister” Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz can win the seat back again.
The decision to field the finance minister has forced Harapan incumbent Dzulkefly Ahmad (Amanah) out of retirement to defend the volatile seat which he won in 2018 with just a few votes shy of 50 percent of ballots.
Other contenders are PN’s Mohd Noor Mohd Sahar (PAS), and GTA’s Mohd Shaid Rosli (Pejuang).
- Gombak (Selangor)
One of the more anticipated bouts by Harapan supporters.
Incumbent Azmin Ali – who betrayed the coalition during the Sheraton Move and joined Bersatu – is hoping to beat the odds and secure a fourth term.
His key opponent is his former disciple Amirudin Shari. The Selangor menteri besar is expected to ride on a wave of voter anger to victory.
Umno Gombak chief Megat Zulkarnain Omardin, however, is hoping that Azmin’s clash with Amirudin will divide voters enough for BN to sneak in a surprise victory.
Also in the fray are GTA’s Aziz Jamaludin Mohd Tahir (Pejuang) and independent Zulkifli Ahmad.
- Ampang (Selangor)
Another Harapan seat that the coalition lost during the Sheraton Move.
Incumbent Zuraida Kamaruddin initially followed Azmin from PKR to Bersatu.
However, she has since joined Parti Bangsa Malaysia (PBM) and was involved in a leadership struggle that denied her the position of PBM president.
Zuraida is also looking for a fourth term, but it will be an uphill battle.
Harapan’s candidate Rodziah Ismail (PKR) is expected to be the favourite on polling day, while PN’s move to field Sasha Lyna Abdul Latif (Bersatu) will divide Zuraida’s post-Sheraton support base.
Other contenders are BN’s Ivone Low Yi Wen (MCA), GTA’s Nurul Ashikin Mabahwi (Pejuang), Warisan’s Lai Wai Chong and independents M Raveen, Tan Hua Meng, and Muhammad Shafiq Izwan Mohd Yunos.
- Sungai Buloh (Selangor)
This constituency will witness BN’s boldest attempt at capturing a Harapan stronghold.
Unlike in other seats which Harapan won with a huge majority, BN is not nominating a second or third-tier candidate here.
Instead, it will be fielding former Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin – who has become rather popular, at least on social media, thanks to his time as health minister.
While Khairy, who had to give up his Rembau seat to BN deputy chief Mohamad Hasan, admits it will an uphill battle, Harapan hasn’t been doing itself any favours.
The move to drop incumbent R Sivarasa due to health reasons has become a point of contention between PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli and his boss Anwar.
Harapan’s new candidate R Ramanan is a former MIC leader with a chequered past, including a fraud case in which he ended up paying RM5.5 million.
The seat is also being contested by PN’s Mohd Ghazali Md Hamin (PAS), GTA’s Mohd Akmal Mohd Yusof (Pejuang), and PRM president Ahmad Jufliz Faiza.
- Batu (Federal Territories)
One of the most crowded contests in Peninsular Malaysia, with 10 candidates vying for the seat.
Tian Chua, a previous two-term MP for Batu, had hoped PKR would give him back the seat – which he was disqualified from contesting in 2018.
However, the party instead chose to continue with incumbent P Prabakaran – who defeated Chua in the PKR polls in May to become the party’s Batu chief.
A disenfranchised Chua is now contesting as an independent.
Meanwhile, BN veteran A Kohilan Pillay (MIC) is hoping that Batu will be his ticket back to Parliament.
Others in the mix are PN’s Azhar Yahya (PAS), GTA’s Wan Azliana Wan Adnan, Warisan’s P Naganathan, PRM’s Mohd Zulkifli Abdul Fattah, and independents Siti Kasim, Nur Fatiha Syazwana, and Too Gao Lan.
- Titiwangsa (Federal Territories)
Kuala Lumpur’s most unpredictable seat – which Harapan won in 2018 with 47.3 percent of votes – will be a four-cornered affair.
Incumbent Rina Harun – who is now with PN – has moved to Sepang, leaving the seat up for grabs.
BN’s Johari Abdul Ghani is hoping to win the seat back and serve his second term there, while Harapan has moved Amanah big gun Khalid Samad to the constituency.
PN’s replacement for Rina is PAS’ Rosni Adam, while Dr Mahathir Mohamad stalwart Khairuddin Abu Hassan (Pejuang) will be representing GTA.
- Pagoh (Johor)
After eight terms as Pagoh MP, this will be former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s last rodeo.
If he and his coalition win – he will be your next prime minister.
In 2018, about 66 percent of Pagoh voters were Malay, of which data suggests that around half stuck with BN – which received 39 percent of the overall votes.
Meanwhile, PAS received 5.8 percent of votes that year.
Despite losing about half of his traditional support base – non-Malay Harapan supporters were able to make up the difference and secure Muhyiddin a comfortable victory with 55.2 percent of votes then.
This time, however, the odds are stacked against the long-term incumbent.
With non-Malay voters mostly expected to back Harapan and Malay votes split multiple ways – the PN chairperson’s chances at winning are the slimmest they have been in a long time.
BN is fielding former Muar MP Razali Ibrahim to capture Pagoh while Harapan’s candidate is Iskandar Shah Abd Rahman (PKR).
- Ayer Hitam (Johor)
MCA president Wee Ka Siong narrowly held on to his seat with a slim 303-vote majority and 44 percent of the ballots in 2018.
MCA president Wee Ka Siong (centre)
DAP’s Liew Chin Tong came in a close second with 43.2 percent of votes, while PAS bagged 12.8 percent.
This time, Harapan is fielding Sheikh Umar Bagharib Ali in an effort to woo Malay voters – who make up the majority in the mixed seat – away from both Wee and PN, in order to clinch a win.
PN’s candidate for the seat is Mohd Lassim Burhan (Bersatu).
- Batu Pahat (Johor)
Harapan secured a convincing win in this mixed seat before its incumbent Rashid Hasnon defected during the Sheraton Move.
Rashid’s 17,894-vote majority is, however, at risk of major erosion as he defends the seat against four others.
Now with PN, he will have to vie for Malay support against two candidates, BN’s Ishak @ Mohd Farid Siraj (Umno) and Nizam Bashir Abdul Kariem Bashir (GTA-Pejuang).
This leaves Rashid vulnerable to Harapan’s Onn Abu Bakar (PKR) snatching back the seat if the latter can get enough non-Malay voters and have a share of Malay votes as well.
Also contesting in Batu Pahat is PRM’s Zahari Osman.
- Simpang Renggam (Johor)
Incumbent Maszlee Malik picked up a surprise win in the constituency in 2018 when he was a Bersatu member.
Now with PKR, however, Maszlee’s chances at retaining the seat are in doubt.
A bid for the Layang-Layang state seat in the constituency during the Johor state polls in March saw Maszlee soundly beaten by BN amid poor voter turnout.
But even if voters come out in droves, the former education minister will be in for an uphill battle,
His primary challenger will be former Johor menteri besar Hasni Mohammad (BN-Umno) while PN’s Mohd Fazrul Kamat (Bersatu) and GTA’s Kamal Kusmin (Pejuang) also want a shot at the seat.