MELAKA, Oct 31 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister's Political Secretary Datuk Azman Abidin is set to face a three-cornered contest for the Paya Rumput seat in the 16th Melaka State Election.
Azman, who is representing Pakatan Harapan (PH), will be challenged by Rafie Ahmad of Perikatan Nasional (PN) and Abdul Rashid Abu Bakar of Parti Bersama Malaysia (Bersama).
Paya Rumput returning officer Safuan Effendy Mat Ghani announced the list of candidates at the Paya Rumput DUN nomination centre at the Ballroom of Stadium Hang Jebat here, after the nomination process closed at 10 am today.
Azman's participation as the PH candidate for the Paya Rumput seat in this Melaka state election marks his first foray into electoral politics.
Earlier, Azman was the first to submit his nomination papers at 9.01 am, followed by Rafie at 9.05 am and Abdul Rashid Abu Bakar at 9.07 am.
The Paya Rumput seat was previously held by Datuk Rais Yasin of Barisan Nasional (BN), but he is not defending the seat in this election after being selected to contest the Sungai Udang seat.
The Bandar Hilir seat will also see a three-cornered contest involving incumbent Leng Chau Yen of PH, Jasmine Lok of BN and Bersama candidate Dr Rashidi Jalil.
The candidates were announced by returning officer Datuk Mohamad Salzeli Moktar at Dewan Seri Temu, Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Padang Temu here.
The Election Commission (EC) has set Nov 14 as polling day for the Melaka state election, while early voting will be held on Nov 10.
A total of 687,697 voters are eligible to cast their ballots in this election, comprising 675,166 ordinary voters, 9,769 military personnel and their spouses, and 2,762 police personnel.
For the latest news on the 16th Melaka State Election, visit https://election.bernama.com/prn/melaka/2026/.
-- BERNAMA