SHAH ALAM - The last leg of campaigning for the Pelangai by-election will intensify today as the state assembly heads to the polls tomorrow.
The Barisan Nasional (BN) and Perikatan Nasional (PN) each have an equal chance of winning the mandate for the seat in the area.
Although both have expressed their confidence in winning, this remains uncertain until polling day tomorrow.
The outcome of the Pelangai by-election hinges on the proportion of Malay voters, as it will ultimately dictate which coalition, be it the government or opposition, gains the confidence to be declared the winner.
PN chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin predicts that the party will win if 90 per cent of voters fulfil their responsibility.
The party is confident in the votes of young people under the age of 30, which makes up 7,639 of the total Pelangai voters of 16,456.
The narrative brought by PN since the beginning of the campaign that the Felda settlements were no longer Umno strongholds will impact BN, especially in gaining Malay votes.
According to PN sources, the potential for PN's victory looks bright if the voter turnout is high, as in the previous general election, but it is noted that it will only be by a slim majority.
They say that the votes of young people living in the Klang Valley and the support of Malay Felda residents will contribute to the victory of their candidate, Kasim Samat, or more commonly known as Cikgu Kasim.
"Even if we win, the majority will only be a little over or under a thousand because Umno still has loyal voters in Pelangai, especially in channels one and two.
"But for channels three and beyond, the votes will go to PN because the young people will return to vote," he told Sinar.