SINGAPORE, June 30 — The People’s Action Party’s (PAP) first assistant secretary-general Heng Swee Keat will lead its team to contest the East Coast Group Representation Constituency (GRC), moving from Tampines GRC where he has been a Member of Parliament (MP) since 2011.

Heng’s candidacy was closely guarded in the run-up to Nomination Day today. 

Heng, 58, arrived at the nomination centre at St Anthony’s Canossian Primary School in Bedok North at about 11.30am today. He submitted his nomination papers for East Coast GRC shortly after that.

The other members of his PAP team in East Coast GRC are incumbent MPs Maliki Osman, 54, Jessica Tan, 54, former Fengshan Single-Member Constituency (SMC) MP Cheryl Chan, 44, and new candidate Tan Kiat How, 43, the former chief executive of the Info-communications Media Development Authority.

Heng’s move followed the retirement of PAP incumbent MPs, Lim Swee Say and Lee Yi Shyan. 

There has been speculation in recent days of Heng or another PAP heavyweight moving to East Coast GRC to replace Lim, a former manpower minister.

Fengshan SMC was merged into the East Coast GRC after the latest change in the electoral boundaries.

It has 120,238 registered voters, compared with 96,493 previously.

The PAP will face a straight fight with the Workers’ Party (WP) in the GRC. — TODAY