The contest for PKR Wanita and Youth leadership positions appears to be just as eventful as the party’s top leadership positions, with incidences of alleged U-turns, purported T-junctions and actual challenges to incumbent wing leaders.

pkr headquarters nominations shamsul iskandar mohd akim In the Youth chief race, incumbent leader Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin ( left ) has confirmed he will be defending his post.

Shamsul had earlier sought to move up the leadership ladder by going for vice-presidency but for an eleventh-hour change of plan.

He will face off against Badrul Hisham Shahrin, better known as Chegubard, after the latter's fellow supreme council member Rafizi Ramli pulled out at around 6pm today.

NONE There is talk that Rafizi ( right ) was notably less than happy with Shamsul's about-turn, and had to yield in frustration after being persuaded to do so by those in the higher echelons of the party.

Shamsul however denied to reporters that his decision to stay put in PKR Youth was an about-turn.

"It's not a U-turn, I reached a T-junction. What did I do? I consulted my cabang (division) leaders, and all my friends advised me that I should have a clear succession plan before I leave. I put the party's interest beyond my own interest."

pkr headquarters nominations chegubard badrul hisham sharin Asked if his decision would be considered unfair to Badrul ( left ), he said, "We have the same opportunity, everyone has the same chance."

He announced as his running mate Khairul Anuar Ahmad Zainudin, for deputy chief.

In the Wanita wing, incumbent Zuraida Kamaruddin ( below ) faces off against two challengers - Animah Ferrar and Suraya Sudin.

bukit antarabangsa landslide 071209 zuraida kamaruddin Candidates have until 5pm today to confirm acceptance of their candidacy, with Oct 24 scheduled for the announcement of the names of those contesting for central leadership posts.

The acceptance of candidates began at 10am today with supporters milling outside the nomination centre at the party headquarters in Tropicana, Petaling Jaya, where make-shift tents had been erected for the proceedings.

The past few days has seen intense last-minute horse-trading on the final line-up among the candidates.

Confirmed candidates so far:

Wanita chief

Animah Ferrar

Suraya Sudin

Zuraida Kamaruddin

Wanita deputy chief

Rodziah Ismail

Wanita vice-chief

Aishah Lamsah

Begum Jan

Felicia Ling

Fouziah Hamzah

Gan Pei Nei

Haniza Talha

Noorsham Abu Samah

Rozaini Mohd Rosli

Salma Ismail

Youth chief

Badrul Hisham Shaharin

Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin

Youth deputy chief

Chang Lih Kang

Khairul Anuar Ahmad Zainuddin

Youth vice-chief

Azmizam Zaman Huri

Chan Ming Kai

Erviana Ansari

Lee Khai Loon

Mohd Nazree Mohd Yunus

Rozan Azen Mat Rasip

S Kesavan

Sivam Veeramuthu

For the full list of candidates visit the PKR official page .

[More to follow]