KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 24 — The long-awaited MIC divisional elections begin on Friday to elect delegates who will vote in the next deputy president, three vice presidents and 23 Central Working Committee (CWC) members.

The results of the divisional elections will be the deciding factor for the party for the next three years.

MIC secretary-general A. Sakthivel said: “The nominations will be held from Friday to Sunday and the elections from Oct 6 to 19.

“Some 1,400 elected divisional delegates will represent their branches to select the new national leadership at the party’s general assembly scheduled for November.”

Sakthivel said keen competition was expected in the 156 divisions.

“This will the first rung of the ladder for the candidates vying for the posts,” he said.

Asked about the issue being discussed, Sakthivel said there had been rumours that some party members were opposing the deal brokered by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, in which party president Datuk Seri G. Palanivel would be retained unopposed as the eighth president.

“Many claim this ‘intervention’ was undemocratic and went against the party’s constitution. They believe that all top positions should be elected by the delegates and not via ‘mutual agreement’,” he said.

Based on information from the grassroots members, he said, there was also a rumour that there may be a contest for the deputy president’s post.

Palanivel, who is also the natural resources and environmental minister, had said that Datuk Dr. S. Subramaniam should be retained as the party deputy president without contest.

A party observer said “two top leaders” were waiting for the outcome of the divisional elections to declare their candidacies to go against Dr Subramaniam.

He said the situation was the same in the race for the three vice presidents’ posts.

Two of the incumbents — Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Datuk M. Saravanan and Perak assembly speaker Datuk S.K. Devamany — have declared their intention to defend their posts while it is speculated that Deputy Education Minister II P. Kamalanathan, former Youth chief S.A. Vigneswaran, former secretary-general Datuk T. Rajagopalu and Vell Paari will enter the fray.