Kuala lumpur: The Chennah state seat is among the four most crucial constituencies in the Jelebu parliamentary constituency for Pakatan Harapan (PH) in its bid to retain the Negeri Sembilan government in the upcoming state election, incumbent Anthony Loke said. Loke, who is also the Transport Minister, stated that although the contest is a straight fight, PH is confident of retaining the seat based on its track record of service and development over two terms in government.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the PH government, which has been in power since 2018, has demonstrated its capability to deliver progress and stability to the state. Loke expressed hope to receive the people's mandate to form the state government again, emphasizing the importance of the seats in the Jelebu parliamentary constituency. In 2018, Chennah and Kelawang state seats were instrumental in the formation of the state government. He made these remarks to reporters after the nomination process at Dewan Besar Kuala Klawang.

Earlier, Jelebu Parliamentary returning officer Abdul Rahim A Aziz announced that the Chennah state seat would witness a straight fight between Loke and Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate Siow Kong Choon. Commenting on his chances of retaining Chennah, a mixed-majority seat, following the recent Johor state election where DAP lost several semi-urban constituencies, Loke noted that every election has its own dynamics.

Loke highlighted that Chennah has always been a 50-50 seat because no single ethnic group forms the majority, requiring support across all communities to secure a win. He pointed out the difference this time, emphasizing that PH is contesting as the incumbent government, having served for two terms and delivered development to the area, and expressed hope to retain the support of Chinese, Malay, and Orang Asli voters.

Meanwhile, Loke noted that the nomination process had gone smoothly in all four state seats under the Jelebu parliamentary constituency. PH candidates in Pertang, Sungai Lui, and Kelawang are facing three-cornered contests, while Chennah will see a straight fight. He stated that PH is now fully focused on campaigning to retain voters' support. The Election Commission (EC) has set July 28 for early voting and August 1 as polling day for the Negeri Sembilan state election.