Top 10 hot seats

THE polls is shaping up to be one of the most exciting in years with many seats expected to see multi-cornered fights. Here’s our pick of hot seats.

Padungan: DAP and SUPP newcomers are pitted against each other, but will Padungan incumbent Dominique Ng, who said yesterday that he will contest as an independent, be a spoiler, and for which side?

Pending: Hotshot ex-cardiologist Prof Dr Sim Kui Hian will fight DAP’s Violet Yong. Dr Sim will need to claw back more than 2,000 votes from the Opposition to win.

Kota Sentosa: Old rivals meet again. DAP strongman Chong Chieng Jen will face off against SUPP veteran Datuk Alfred Yap.

 Bengoh: SUPP’s choice may find it difficult to overcome the party’s Chinese-centric perception among the Bidayuh.

Engkilili: Dr Johnical Rayong Ngipa won on a SNAP ticket in 2006. Since then, the incumbent had left the Opposition and joined SUPP. The SUPP Engkilili branch chief quit in protest.

Repok: SUPP’s Datuk David Teng won with a slim majority of just 576 in 2006. The politically-ambitious Teng must win big this time.

Bawang Assan: DAP’s Alice Lau will get strong support based on her father’s local influence. Her father, Datuk Lau Cheng Kiong, is prominent businessman and adviser to the Sibu United Chinese Associations. SUPP’s incumbent Datuk Seri Wong Soon Koh has never had tougher competition.

Balingian: The battle of the high-ranking cousins. Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud takes on ex-PBB deputy secretary general and former deputy education minister Datuk Salleh Jaffaruddin.

Pelagus: Controversial incumbent and partyless Larry Sng has been dropped. Flying the Barisan flag will be first-timer Stanley Nyitar.

Ba’Kelalan: The state PKR will chief contest here. Baru Bian, a notable native land rights lawyer, lost by a whisker of 475 votes in 2006.