Kuala lumpur: The Gemas state seat is set for a three-cornered clash in the upcoming 16th Negeri Sembilan state election, with candidates from Parti Wawasan, Pakatan Harapan (PH), and Bersatu all vying for voter attention on Aug 1. The announcement came from Tampin Election returning officer Mohd Fadhil Hassan at the Dewan Perdana Tampin nomination centre, shortly after the 10 am nomination deadline.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, incumbent Gemas assemblyman Ridzuan Ahmad of Parti Wawasan will be defending his seat against Siti Aishah Seman @ Othman (PH) and Azman Abdullah (Bersatu). Nomination papers were submitted in quick succession by Ridzuan at 9.03 am, followed by Siti Aishah at 9.06 am and Azman at 9.07 am.

Ridzuan originally won the Gemas seat in the last state election as a Bersatu candidate under the Perikatan Nasional (PN) banner. However, he recently made headlines by leaving Bersatu to join Parti Wawasan and has now been re-nominated by PN to defend the seat. In the 15th state election, Ridzuan secured 11,653 votes, defeating BN's Abd. Razak Ab. Said with a majority of 3,120 votes.

Over in the Gemencheh state seat, it is a straight one-on-one contest between incumbent Suhaimizan Bizar (BN) and Abd. Latib A. Tambi (PH). Meanwhile, the N36 Repah seat also features a head-to-head battle, pitting Koh Kim Swee (MCA) against incumbent S.Veerapan from PH.

The Election Commission has set Aug 1 as polling day, with early voting scheduled for July 28.