Kedah is too close to call with 28 hot seats

ALOR STAR: It is getting too close to call for Kedah in the 14th General Election as the number of hot seats has continued to grow with polling day on Wednesday.
From Langkawi, where Pakatan Harapan (PH)'s chairperson Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad is standing, to Sungai Petani. where two-term incumbent Datuk Johari Abdul faces a tough fight, the battle for the minds and hearts of Kedahans has been stepped up.

From an estimated 10 hot seats, the number has now grown to 28 seats where the margins of victory would be slim, said political observers.

There are 36 state and 15 parliament seats up for grabs. In the previous general election, Barisan Nasional (BN) won 10 of the 15 parliament seats and 21 of the 36 state seats.

PAS, which won nine state seats, is standing on its own with a loose pact called Gagasan Sejahtera.

The multiple-cornered fight and the unknown factor in PAS make the encounters in Kedah interesting, said political analyst Prof Dr Sivamurugan Pandian.

The mood among the voters seems subdued as many opt to express their support through the ballot box.

Unlike the previous election where many incidents involving party supporters occurred, there was no major incidents during GE14 so far.

Even in Langkawi where former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad is facing a three-cornered fight with the incumbent from BN Datuk Nawawi Ahmad and the island 's PAS area chief Zubir Ahmad, the voters are generally keeping their cards close to their chest. However, turnouts at Pakatan events are encouraging.

At Jerlun, Umno candidate Datuk Othman Aziz for the parliamentary constituency has expressed his confidence that the parliamentary and its two state seats would remain as Umno strongholds despite the onslaught led by Kedah PH chairman Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir and PAS.

He described support for Umno as positive but he wouldn't underestimate the opposition, especially PAS.

"We never give false hopes, but we also don't promise the moon and stars, we always do our best with the constraints that we have and be realistic," he said.

He also dismissed the Mahathir-Mukhriz factor as decisive for the opposition coalition onslaught in Kedah.

The Chinese community's support in Alor Star and Sungai Petani looks positive for BN as many were seen at their ceramahs and campaign trail.

Two senators, contesting for the two parliamentary constituencies, Datuk Yoo Wei How in Alor Star and Datuk Shahanim Mohd Yusof in Sungai Petani have been working day and night to woo voters.

Events in Alor Star and Sungai Petani were also attended by caretaker premier Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak and his deputy Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, attracting thousands from the two constituencies.

Kedah Amanah chairman Datuk Ismail Salleh said the waves of change could be felt in Kedah as people can feel the unifying factor of Mahathir.

"It is the wave of change that we can feel now, we will see it translated to votes on May 9," he said confidently.

Perhaps the mega ceramahs on the eve of polling day, where Mahathir will address a crowd in Langkawi and millions online, can be an indicator of who will be chosen as the next government not just in Kedah but also in Putrajaya.