KLUANG: A total of 61,397 voters will cast their ballots in the Mahkota state by-election today.
Polling will take place from 8am to 6pm.
A total of 109 polling streams have been made available across 20 centres.
The counting of votes will be conducted at Dewan Tunku Ibrahim Ismail.
On Tuesday, 4,437 police and military personnel, along with their spouses, fulfilled their responsibility as early voters in the by-election.
The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) forecasts good weather in Kluang during the morning, while thunderstorms are expected in the afternoon, with temperatures ranging from 23 to 33 degrees Celsius.
The by-election is a straight fight between Syed Hussien Syed Abdullah, 40, of Barisan Nasional (BN), and Mohamad Haizan Jaafar, 61, of Perikatan Nasional (PN).
Syed Hussien will vote at SMK Seri Perdana, while Mohamad Haizan will cast his ballot at SK Kampung Melayu.
The by-election was triggered by the death of the incumbent assemblywoman, Datuk Sharifah Azizah Syed Zain, 63, who passed away at Hospital Enche' Besar Hajjah Khalsom on August 2. In the previous election, Sharifah Azizah, representing BN, won with a majority of 5,166 votes in a four-way contest against Pakatan Harapan, PN, and Warisan.
The Mahkota by-election is the fourth by-election this year, following those in Kuala Kubu Baharu (Selangor), Sungai Bakap (Penang), and Nenggiri (Kelantan). First contested in 2004, the Mahkota seat has seen five elections, with Barisan Nasional winning four of them.– BERNAMA