Bukit Batok by-election to be held on May 7

Bukit Batok by-election to be held on May 7

SINGAPORE - Polling day for the Bukit Batok Single Member Constituency (SMC) by-election will be on May 7.

President Tony Tan Keng Yam issued the writ of election on Wednesday (April 20).

Nomination day for the election will be held on Wednesday, April 27, and the nomination centre will be at Keming Primary School. There will then be nine days of campaigning before the mandatory cooling-off day on May 6.

The by-election was triggered by the resignation of People's Action Party (PAP) MP David Ong on March 12 due to a 'personal indiscretion'.  It was later reported that he had an alleged extra-marital affair with a grassroots volunteer, Wendy Lim.

The contest for the single seat is likely to be a straight fight between PAP's Murali Pillai and Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) secretary-general Chee Soon Juan.

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At the general election last year, Mr Ong won the seat over SDP's Sadasivam Veriyah and independent candidate Samir Salim Neji.

In a Facebook post, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean had advised President Tony Tan to issue the writ of election. Mr Teo is currently acting Prime Minister as PM Lee is on a working visit to the Middle East.

"Now that the Budget is out of the way, we are calling this by-election to enable residents of Bukit Batok to have their own MP as we work together to improve Singaporeans' lives," he wrote.

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seanyap@sph.com.sg

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