KLUANG: The by-election for the Mahkota state seat in Johor is shaping up to be a straight contest between Barisan Nasional (BN) and Perikatan Nasional (PN).
BN's candidate, Syed Hussein Syed Abdullah, will be up against PN's Mohammad Haizan Jaafar, also known as Coach Haizan.
The Election Commission returning officer, Azurawati Wahid, confirmed both the candidacies earlier today at the nomination centre in Dewan Tunku Ibrahim Ismail.
Syed Hussein, who currently serves as Umno Kluang Youth Chief, submitted his nomination at 9am, followed by Haizan, 61, five minutes later.
The nomination centre officially closed at 10am, finalising the two candidates for the Mahkota by-election, scheduled for Sept 28.
Early voting will take place on Sept 24.
Mahkota (N.29) has 66,318 registered voters, according to the updated electoral roll as of Aug 2. This includes 61,397 regular voters, 4,410 military personnel and their spouses, 401 police officers, and 10 voters residing abroad.
The constituency's ethnic breakdown consists of 56 per cent Malay (37,228 voters), 34 per cent Chinese (22,468 voters), 8 per cent Indian (5,147 voters), and 2 per cent from other ethnic groups (1,475 voters).
A 14-day campaign period has officially begun and will run until 11.59 pm on Sept 27.
Reflecting on his father's death, Syed Hussein shared how his father's final message has strengthened his resolve to succeed in the by-election.
"The loss of my father has only strengthened my resolve. He left me with a message, and I am striving to be the best for everyone," Syed Hussein said, though he did not reveal the details of his father's message.
His father, Syed Abdullah Syed Abdul Hamid, died on Aug 10, without regaining consciousness after he was put into an induced coma.
Syed Hussein, 40, holds a business degree from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) and has over 10 years of experience as a member of Umno.
He was officially announced as BN's candidate on Sept 7 by Johor Umno Liaison Committee chairman Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi, with approval from BN chairman Datuk Seri Dr. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
The Mahkota seat was left vacant following the death of its former assemblywoman, Sharifah Azizah Syed Zain, on Aug 2 due to internal bleeding. Sharifah Azizah won the seat for BN in the March 2022 state election with a majority of 5,166 votes.