PKR leader Anwar Ibrahim says an Indian candidate from the party will probably be chosen to contest the Bukit Selambau state seat in Kedah.

The seat became vacant following the resignation of assemblyperson V Arumugam yesterday.

The Kedah state assembly speaker will officially inform the Election Commission (EC) today of the vacancy, following which the EC will set a date for a by-election.

anwar ibrahim Anwar, who is also the leader of the Pakatan Rakyat alliance, said PKR will definitely contest the seat.

"Most probably we'll also choose an Indian candidate in place," he told reporters last night in Malacca.

Arumugam, also a state exco, tendered his resignation yesterday after days of speculation that he has been threatened by certain quarters to defect to the Barisan Nasional.

At the same time, his personal details about his family have become an issue, with many claiming that the situation is unbecoming of a state exco.

Arumugam Vengatarakoo Arumugam could not be contacted for comment.

However Anwar said that he had met with the retired Royal Malaysia Air Force mechanic who had informed him of the decision to resign.

Arumugam was an independent candidate in the last general election. He joined PKR after winning the seat on March 8 last year.

He was appointed state exco in charge of domestic trade and consumer affairs, Siamese and Indian affairs, unity and plantation workers.

Arumugam won the Bukit Selambau seat by defeating Barisan Nasional/MIC candidate S Krishnan with a majority of 2,362 votes.

He emerged at the last minute as an independent candidate when the returning officer rejected the nomination papers of Saiful Izham Ramli of PKR on technical grounds.

BN's dirty tactics blasted

Writing in his blog, Anwar paid tribute to Arumugam for his services to the party as a state representative and exco member.

He lambasted the BN for using "dirty tactics and threats which have forced Arumugam to quit".

Early this month, Arumugan had lodged a police report claiming that there had been an attempt to kidnap him.

He also claimed that he and his officers had received numerous threats.

"All of this is being done in order to force me to leave PKR and move to Barisan Nasional," he had said after lodging the police report.

Apart from the threats, he also claimed to have received lucrative offers to leave PKR.

Meanwhile the race to be the candidate has started to heat up. PKR's B Kalaivanar, who contested the Gurun state seat in the last general election, is touted as an early favourite.

Kalaivanar had lost to MCA's Leong Yong Kong in the previous outing.