Heavyweights and newcomers feature in key Johor polls battles

 Key seats to watch are those involving former ministers Maszlee Malik and Dr Adham Baba, former menteri besar Dr Sahruddin Jamal, as well as Amanah's first Chinese candidate and Party Orang Asli Malaysia's Johor debut.

(From left) Former ministers Maszlee Malik and Dr Adham Baba, former menteri besar Dr Sahruddin Jamal and newcomers Sharon Teo and Jati Awang are among the candidates.

JOHOR BAHRU:

Several high-profile contests are set to dominate the campaign for the Johor state assembly election, with heavyweight politicians, former ministers and closely watched constituencies expected to shape the outcome when voters head to the polls on July 11.

Topping the list is Machap, where Onn Hafiz Ghazi, head of Johor Barisan Nasional, faces a straight fight against lawyer Nur Hafiz Roslan of Pakatan Harapan.

The contest is widely seen as a referendum on Onn Hafiz’s leadership after four years as menteri besar of Johor.

Another key battleground is Puteri Wangsa, a high-powered five-cornered contest where former education minister Maszlee Malik of PH faces BN’s Teow Chia Ling, Nicholas Paul Vincent of Parti Bersama Malaysia, Rashifa Al Junied of Muda and independent candidate Wang Wee Siong.

Puteri Wangsa, with more than 128,000 registered voters, is among Johor’s largest constituencies and is expected to be one of the fiercest contests in the election.

In the north of the state, Bukit Kepong is shaping up as another key battleground, with former Johor menteri besar Dr Sahruddin Jamal carrying Perikatan Nasional’s challenge against Ahmad Syar’e Yusof (BN) and C Subramani (PH).

A four-cornered contest in Permas will also be closely watched after Amanah fielded Sharon Teo as its first Chinese candidate against BN’s Baharudin Mohamed Taib, PN’s T Vela and Bersama’s Dr Zamil Najwah Arbain.

Attention will also be on Pasir Raja, where former health minister Dr Adham Baba returns to the state political arena after an eight-year absence. Representing BN, he faces PH’s Mohd Fakharuddin Moslim and PN’s Yuhanita Yunan in a three-cornered contest.

Urban voters will be watching Larkin, where BN’s Hairi Mad Shah seeks re-election; his challengers are Pulai MP Suhaizan Kaiat of PH, with Bersama’s Norsinah Abu adding another dimension to the contest.

Endau will make electoral history as the site of Parti Orang Asli Malaysia’s election debut. The party has fielded Jati Awang against BN’s Alwiyah Talib, PH’s Saiful Nizam Samat and PN’s Hasnul Hakimi Hussien in a four-cornered fight.

Political observer Mazlan Ali of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia said several marginal seats which were narrowly won by BN in the 2022 election, including Bukit Pasir and Parit Yaani, could ultimately determine whether the coalition retains its two-thirds majority or the opposition makes significant gains.

Polling will take place on July 11, with early voting set for July 7.

* See the full list of candidates for the Johor polls

- FMT