PKR candidate for the Kajang by-election Anwar Ibrahim said today that he would not entertain baseless accusations that he had broken the law by fishing for votes way too early.

The Election Commission (EC) last week set the polling date for March 23 and nominations for March 11.

This led some, including former PKR publicity chief and now Perkasa member Ruslan Kasim to claim that Anwar was acting prematurely with his series of ceramahs held in Kajang last week.

Anwar said instead that it was BN that had already launched a campaign against him through the government-controlled mass media.

"You ask him to ask TV3? Whether they have not launched any vicious campaigns...

"Every day, there are more and more heroes who are talking (about me)," Anwar told reporters at One World Hotel in Damansara.

Anwar said he would dismiss the notion, even if it came from the EC.

"Is the EC a spokesperson for Umno or for themselves?" he said.

"They don’t watch RTM and TV3 or read Utusan ?"

New Straits Times yesterday reported Ruslan, who is now Malay rights NGO Perkasa’s information chief, urging the EC to take action against Anwar.

This was followed by Berita Harian which also quoted EC chairperson Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof as saying that six Kajang Umno branches have lodged police reports against Anwar for having started his election campaign.

A by-election was triggered by the sudden resignation of Lee Chin Cheh on Jan 27 and a day after, Anwar announced his candidacy, backed by Selangor Mentri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim and Pakatan Rakyat leaders.

PKR explained the move, which irked some and surprised many, as a calculated move designed to formalise Anwar’s role in the Selangor government, and as a crucial step to winning Putrajaya in the next general election.