TELUK INTAN, May 31 — Unofficial results has seen Barisan Nasional (BN) whittle DAP’s vote down to the hundreds in today’s Teluk Intan by-election, after turnout of 66.7 per cent and a lower than anticipated Chinese vote swung the poll to the coalition’s favour.
Numbers streaming out of the tallying centre at 7.30pm put DAP’s Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud ahead with 19202 votes against BN’s Datuk Mah Siew Keong with 18739, but rumours are spreading of early celebration at the latter camp in anticipation of victory.
“DAP is leading now but BN is likely to win. We managed to get about 65 per cent of the Chinese votes,” a Perak DAP source told The Malay Mail Online.
“Our majority in Chinese areas is not big enough.”
DAP gambled on fielding Dyana Sofya, a 26-year-old Malay woman, in the Chinese majority constituency and witnessed early dissent among the community over her choice.
Reporters are now crowding a projector screen at the tallying centre at SMK Abdul Rahman Talib, where counting began shortly after polling closed at 5pm.
MORE TO COME
