Singapore GE: Former Sengkang West SMC grows to 48,000 voters

In 2006, when political newcomer Lam Pin Min took over the new estates in Sengkang from Member of Parliament Wee Siew Kim, the ward had only 22,000 voters.

The estates were then part of Ang Mo Kio GRC.

In 2011, Sengkang West was carved out of the GRC to be a single-member constituency (SMC).

But come the next general election, it will be part of a group representation constituency again: The new Sengkang GRC.

It has 47,891 voters, more than double the size of Dr Lam's first ward and far exceeding the ceiling of 38,000 voters set for SMCs.

Slightly more than half of Sengkang West's voters have joined the new GRC, while the rest have returned to Ang Mo Kio.

"Over the past decade, the population has grown significantly with more new Build-To-Order flats and condominiums being built," said Dr Lam, who is Senior Minister of State for Transport and Health.

Sengkang West was contested both times in the last two general elections, each time between PAP's Dr Lam and the Workers' Party's Koh Choong Yong.

In 2011, Dr Lam won with 58.1 per cent of the vote, a share that increased to 62.1 per cent in the 2015 election.

A few months ago, he took flack from riders of personal mobility devices (PMD) at a dialogue, following a controversial ban on the use of PMDs on footpaths.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on March 14, 2020, with the headline Singapore GE: Former Sengkang West SMC grows to 48,000 voters. Subscribe