A total of 30 candidates contesting the 16th Negeri Sembilan state election lost their deposits after failing to secure at least one-eighth of the total votes cast in their respective constituencies.
Among those affected were 23 of Bersatu’s 24 candidates, including the party’s information chief Tun Faisal Ismail Aziz, who contested the Sikamat seat, and Negeri Sembilan Bersatu chief Hanifah Abu Baker, who stood in Labu, Bernama reported.
Pakatan Harapan’s candidate for Palong, Zahin Zinal Abidin, was the only candidate from the coalition to lose his deposit after failing to obtain the required minimum number of votes.
PH records one deposit loss
Zahin secured only 1,495 votes in Palong, while Barisan Nasional candidate Mustapha Nagoor won the seat with 15,197 votes, giving the former state executive councillor a majority of 13,702 votes.
The only Bersatu candidate to retain his deposit was the party’s associate wing chief, R Sri Sanjeevan, who finished third in a four-cornered contest in Jeram Padang.
Barisan Nasional’s Zaidy Abdul Kadir retained the seat for a second consecutive term with 6,854 votes, ahead of Pakatan Harapan’s G Manivannan, who received 2,372 votes. Sanjeevan obtained 2,191 votes, while Parti Orang Asli Malaysia candidate Dayana Dal garnered 179 votes.
Other candidates also forfeit deposits
Other candidates who lost their deposits included Dayana, Parti Sosialis Malaysia’s sole candidate S Tinagaran, and four independent candidates.
