Linggi: Indian votes will be crucial for Negeri MB’s victory!
(R.Mutharasan)
PORT DICKSON: As campaigning intensifies ahead of the upcoming polling day in Negeri Sembilan, all eyes are on the Linggi constituency, where Indian voter support is emerging as a critical factor in deciding whether caretaker Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun can secure victory in his bold political shift.
Aminuddin, who serves as a Vice President of PKR and Chairman of Negeri Sembilan Pakatan Harapan (PH), has made a high-stakes strategic move by shifting from the Sikamat state assembly seat, which he held across four consecutive terms, to contest the Linggi seat in the current election cycle.
In Sikamat, Malay voters comprise over 70% of the electorate, whereas in Linggi, Malay voters account for approximately 61.8%. Linggi falls under the Port Dickson parliamentary constituency alongside 4 other state assembly constituencies, including Sri Tanjong. Linggi is a long-standing stronghold of Barisan Nasional (BN). During the previous state election, UMNO candidate Mohd Faizal Ramli won the seat by defeating his Bersatu opponent by a majority of 1,461 votes.
By challenging the incumbent in a BN stronghold, Aminuddin aims to solidify his political influence; however, political analysts view the seat as a tough battle.
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In the current election, Linggi is witnessing a three-cornered contest. Aminuddin (PH-PKR) is facing off against incumbent candidate Mohd Faizal Ramli (BN-UMNO) and Zamri Md Said (Bersatu). With three Malay candidates contesting, the Malay vote bank, comprising 61.8% of the total 20,677 voters, is widely expected to split among the contenders. While UMNO is anticipated to retain a significant portion of Malay support, the ultimate outcome will hinge on non-Malay voters.
Within the Linggi constituency, Indian voters make up 17.3% of the electorate, surpassing Chinese voters, who account for 16.7%, alongside a notable Indigenous (Orang Asli) population (1.3%).
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Debates have arisen regarding how Indian voters will cast their ballots. While Chinese voters are expected to overwhelmingly support Pakatan Harapan because of the presence of DAP, Indian voters have expressed growing dissatisfaction with the PH coalition, PKR, and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s administration. Observers are closely watching whether Indian voters will express this frustration by voting against the caretaker Menteri Besar or choose to look past these grievances in recognition of Aminuddin’s service record as Menteri Besar to grant him their support.
As the race tightens, analysts emphasise that while Aminuddin is widely respected across Negeri Sembilan as an accessible leader, his margin of victory or defeat in Linggi will ultimately be determined by which direction the crucial Indian vote tilts.
