PAP wins Punggol GRC with 55.17% of votes over WP

Results for Punggol GRC in GE2025

The People's Action Party (PAP) has won the freshly minted Punggol GRC with 55.17 per cent of votes over Workers' Party (WP). 

PAP received 63,589 votes while WP received 51,663 votes. 

The PAP's team for Punggol GRC is led by Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong and consists Dr Janil Puthucheary, Sun Xueling and Yeo Wan Ling.

The WP's team consists wholly of new faces, with Harpreet Singh, Jackson Au, Siti Alia Abdul Rahim Mattar and Alexis Dang.

This four-member Punggol GRC was created after the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee recommended carving out the Punggol estates in Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC, to merge with Punggol West SMC in their March report.

DPM Gan's surprise switch 

This GRC quickly emerged as a key battleground after DPM Gan was unexpectedly moved on Nomination Day (April 23) to lead PAP's team to contest this constituency, setting the stage for a head-to-head battle with the WP team.

DPM Gan had served as a Member of Parliament at Chua Chu Kang GRC for 14 years.

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong explained then that this was for a "better distribution" of the ruling party's senior leadership for the campaign.

But DPM Gan's move drew criticism from WP chief Pritam Singh and other WP candidates during the campaign period, who accused the PAP of 'parachuting' him into Punggol GRC from Chua Chu Kang GRC.

In a packed election rally on Thursday (May 1), Singh said that PM Wong's argument did not make sense, given Singapore's small size, and that "we are not America, China or even Malaysia". 

He added that shifting DPM Gan to Punggol was also a tactical move to stop WP from winning the constituency.

When asked about WP's criticism of him being "parachuted" from one GRC to another, DPM Gan told AsiaOne ealier this week that his focus during the campaign was not on "paying too much attention" to the opposition.

"Of course, you always keep watch [on what the opposition does]," he said.

"But at the same time, focus a lot more on the residents - talk to them, know them, understand them and help them understand me. I think that's a more endearing way to run a campaign."

'A lot of younger voters': Expert

Independent political observer Dr Felix Tan had earlier told AsiaOne that the new Punggol GRC comprises "a lot of younger voters and newer estates" which may "shift voting patterns around".

Dr Mustafa Izzuddin, a senior international affairs analyst at Solaris Strategies Singapore, said in an earlier Straits Times report that the younger voter demographic in Punggol GRC makes it crucial for any party to either address their concerns effectively or field candidates who can connect with them better than the competition. 

He noted the GRC's proximity to WP-held Sengkang GRC adds to the unpredictability of the contest, describing Punggol as a potential "political banana skin" that could pose a risk for the PAP. 

This GRC has 123,557 electors and has been Singapore's youngest town for years, with more than half of its voters estimated to be between the ages of 21 and 45.

For our GE2025 microsite, visit here.

[[nid:715565]]

editor@asiaone.com