It is becoming increasingly likely that MIC deputy president G Palanivel will be made Barisan Nasional's candidate for the upcoming Hulu Selangor by-election, and this has unsettled Umno

grassroots.

NONE Objections to Palanivel's candidacy were raised during a meeting between 130 Hulu Selangor Umno division officials and party information chief Ahmad Maslan on Sunday.

According to a Umno branch leader from Batang Kali state constituency who attended the meeting said Palanivel's candidacy was opposed "100 percent".

The leader described the meeting as " keras (tensed)" because of the heated objections raised.

“This (seat squabble) is not a quota issue, but a candidate issue. (Palanivel) made many election promises but made good of none.

“He contested in four elections, so why did he lose (in 2008)? It was a vote of protest,” said the leader who requested anonymity.

'Anyone but Palanivel'

Another Umno branch leader, also from Batang Kali, said Umno grassroots would accept another MIC leader, but with reluctance.

azlan “As long as its not Palanivel, there is still hope (of winning),” said another leader, who requested anonymity.

He adds that Palanivel's ( right ) track record as a four-term Hulu Selangor MP showed that he did not have the “personal touch” with the people.

He said that Umno would stand a better chance at winning the seat, a view he claims is shared by Chinese community in the constituency.

The objections raised during the meetings comes in the wake of a memorandum by Hulu Selangor Village Development and Security Committee (JKKK) leaders to BN chairperson Najib Abdul RAzak, demanding that he field an Umno candidate.

As pressure was mounting for BN to field an Umno candidate, Deputy BN chairperson Muhyiddin Yassin said on April 3 tried to quash speculations by stating that the coalition was " most probably " going to field an MIC candidate.

After comfortably winning four straight terms in Hulu Selangor, Palanivel was eventually voted out by a wafer-thin majority of 198 votes during the March 2008 general elections.