KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 15 — A total of 26 candidates forfeited their election deposits after failing to secure at least one-eighth of the total votes counted in the 16th Melaka state election.
Parti Bersama Malaysia (Bersama) recorded the highest number of candidates losing their deposits, with 15 of its 16 candidates failing to secure the minimum number of votes required.
Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) saw five of its seven candidates lose their deposits, while Pakatan Harapan (PH) suffered the same fate with two of its 24 candidates.
Parti Bumiputera Perkasa Malaysia (Putra), which fielded a sole candidate in the Gadek state seat, and three independent candidates also lost their contests and forfeited their deposits.
Meanwhile, Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate Datuk Rais Yasin secured the largest winning majority of 16,214 votes in Sungai Udang, defeating the Bersatu and Bersama candidates, who obtained 2,103 and 1,322 votes respectively.
Sungai Udang was among the closely watched seats in the Melaka state election, with 22,195 of its 29,692 registered voters casting their ballots yesterday.
BN candidate Datuk Ngwe Hee Sem, who secured 6,686 votes, recorded the smallest winning majority in a three-cornered contest for the Machap Jaya state seat against PH’s Datuk Ginie Lim Siew Lin and Bersama’s Prasanth Kumar Brakasam.
Ngwe retained the Machap Jaya seat, which he won with a majority of 938 votes in the 2021 Melaka state election. — Bernama
