Malaysia GE candidate M Karupaiya dies three days before election
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Mr M Karupaiya was seeking a second term as an MP, having won the Padang Serai seat in Kedah at the last election.
PHOTO: KARUPAIYA MUTUSAMI/FACEBOOK
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ALOR SETAR - Mr M Karupaiya, opposition alliance Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) candidate for the Padang Serai parliamentary seat, has died.
The 70-year-old former army officer suffered a fall while campaigning at Padang Serai in Kedah. He was hospitalised and died on Wednesday, just three days before Malaysians cast their votes.
The Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) politician won the Padang Serai seat in the last election with a majority 8,813 of votes.
He was seeking a second term in Malaysia’s upcoming polls on Nov 19, in a tight race against Perikatan Nasional’s Azman Nasrudin, Barisan Nasional’s Sivaraj Chandran, Pejuang’s Hamzah Abd Rahman, Warisan’s Mohd Bakhri Hashim and independent candidate Sreanandha Rao.
PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said in a media statement that he last met Mr Karupaiya at a PH rally in Kulim, Kedah on Monday, adding that Mr Karupaiya was able to give a short speech. His passing is a “great loss to the party”, Mr Saifuddin said.
The Election Commission (EC) will hold a special meeting on Friday to decide on the dates for the Padang Serai election. The EC is required to start the process anew if a candidate dies between nomination day and polling day. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
