KUALA LUMPUR, June 16 — MIC has been allocated four seats in the upcoming Johor state election, said its vice-president Datuk T. Murugiah.

He said the matter was confirmed by MIC president Tan Sri SA. Vigneswaran, who recently attended discussions on the Johor and Negeri Sembilan state elections with Barisan Nasional (BN) component parties.

“At present, the president has said that we will contest four seats in Johor, while the number of seats MIC will contest in Negeri Sembilan has not yet been finalised.

“Preparations are currently underway,” he told a press conference after attending a meeting on MIC’s 80th anniversary celebrations at its headquarters here today.

To strengthen and streamline the party machinery, he said MIC will organise a two-day training session for about 150 speakers in Johor Bahru this weekend, enabling them to deliver accurate information when campaigning among the Indian community in all Johor state constituencies.

“They will be trained on public speaking and the messages to be delivered before being deployed to speak in all 56 state seats contested by BN to attract support from the Indian community,” he said.

In the 15th Johor state election in March 2022, MIC won three of the four seats it contested, namely Kemelah, Kahang and Tenggaroh, while losing Bukit Batu.

According to a party insider, MIC is expected to field candidates in Kemelah, Kahang and Bukit Batu in this election, while the Tenggaroh seat will be swapped with Umno for Perling.

“It is expected that 50 per cent of the candidates will be new faces in this Johor election. For Negeri Sembilan, MIC has a chance to contest two seats,” he said.

The Election Commission fixed July 11 for polling in Johor and August 1 for polling in Negeri Sembilan.

The nomination of candidates in Johor will be held on June 27, while that for Negeri Sembilan is July 18.

Meanwhile, Murugiah said the party will organise sports competitions in 152 areas nationwide this Saturday in conjunction with the anniversary celebration.

He also invited people of all races to take part in the competitions, which include football, badminton, bowling, carrom and hiking. — Bernama