Kuala lumpur: Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor cast his ballot for the Sulaman seat at Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Serusup here during the 17th Sabah State Election today. The Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) chairman arrived at the polling centre at 11.35 am, accompanied by his wife, Datin Seri Juliah Salag, who also voted at the same location.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, after voting, Hajiji, who is defending the Sulaman seat, paused for media photographers requesting a shot of his index finger stained with indelible ink. Outside the polling centre, he also took time to greet other voters, as well as his nephew, Dr Shahnon Rizal Thaijuddin, the young candidate fielded by Barisan Nasional (BN) for the seat.

Hajiji, who is also president of Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah, is facing a five-cornered contest in Sulaman, which has 18,352 registered voters. Apart from Dr Shahnon Rizal, his other three challengers are Mokhtar Hussin (Warisan), Tiaminah Siti Aminah Ele (Perikatan Nasional), and Pajudin Nordin (Parti Impian Sabah).

In the 2020 state election, Hajiji retained the Sulaman seat with a majority of 3,099 votes, extending his more than three decades of incumbency in the constituency.