Four-way fight in Karpal Singh's former constituency

Four candidates will be vying for Penang's Bukit Gelugor seat on May 25, after its former Member of Parliament Karpal Singh (above) died in a road accident last month and triggered the by-election. -- ST FILE PHOTO: THE STAR PUBLICATION 
Four candidates will be vying for Penang's Bukit Gelugor seat on May 25, after its former Member of Parliament Karpal Singh (above) died in a road accident last month and triggered the by-election. -- ST FILE PHOTO: THE STAR PUBLICATION 

GEORGETOWN - Four candidates will be vying for Penang's Bukit Gelugor seat on May 25, after its former Member of Parliament Karpal Singh died in a road accident last month and triggered the by-election.

Mr Singh's third son Ramkarpal Singh from the Democratic Action Party (DAP) was one of the five people who submitted their nomination papers on Monday.

The others were Parti Cinta Malaysia vice-president Huan Cheng Guan, retiree Mohamed Nabi Bux Mohd Nabi Abd Sathar and lawyer Abu Backer Sidek Mohamad Zan, both contesting as independents, reported The Star newspaper.

A fifth aspiring candidate, Mr Lim Chee Khoon from the newly-formed Penang Front Party was 15 minutes late in his submission and was disqualified. He also failed to show up with his election deposit.

The younger Singh is widely expected to retain the seat for DAP, the party that his late father presided over as National Chairman since 2004.

He arrived at the Speakers' Corner near the Esplanade in his father's red jeep to greet hundreds of spirited Pakatan Rakyat supporters, The Star reported. DAP is one of the three component parties in the opposition Pakatan Rakyat coalition.

There are 82,431 registered voters in the Bukit Gelugor parliamentary constituency, 74 per cent of them ethnic Chinese.

The late Mr Singh won the seat with a majority of 41,778 votes against Barisan Nasional candidate Teh Beng Yeam in last year's general election.

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