JELEBU, July 18 — DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke will face a straight fight to defend the Chennah state seat, which he has held since 2013, in the 16th Negeri Sembilan state election that begins today.

The Seremban Member of Parliament will be challenged by state MCA Youth chief Siow Kong Choon, who is contesting on a Barisan Nasional (BN) ticket.

Jelebu Parliamentary returning officer Abdul Rahim A Aziz announced the contest at the nomination centre at Dewan Besar Kuala Klawang here after the nomination process closed at 10am today.

Earlier, Loke, who is also the Transport Minister, submitted his nomination papers at 9.05am, followed by Siow at 9.09am.

In the 2023 Negeri Sembilan state election, Loke polled 5,888 votes to defeat Perikatan Nasional (PN) candidate Rosmadi Arif by a 2,200-vote majority.

The Election Commission (EC) has set July 28 for early voting and Aug 1 as polling day for the Negeri Sembilan state election.

For the latest updates on the 16th Negeri Sembilan state election, visit https://prn.bernama.com/n9. — Bernama