DAP Selangor, which is currently embroiled in a leadership crisis, will kick off a series of party elections to be held in six states over the next three months.

Party national organising secretary Tan Kok Wai said Selangor had been picked for the party state-level convention on Aug 10, during which a new state committee would be elected to put to rest problems within the division.

Five other state divisions - Federal Territory, Penang, Johor, Perak, Melaka and Pahang - have also been scheduled to hold their respective conventions over the next three months.

The DAP Selangor polls are expected to attract particular interest as a leadership crisis was barely averted last May when an open rift broke out between state chairperson M Manoharan and state secretary Ronnie Liu.

As a result of the split, the party's national leadership dissolved the Selangor panel and reconstituted an interim panel headed by national treasurer Fong Kui Lun and national deputy chairperson Karpal Singh.

The interim leaders will hand over their responsibilities to the newly elected state panel.

15 seats up for grabs

When contacted, interim Selangor state secretary Ean Yong Hian Wah said 34 nominees have been identified to contest for the 15 seats in the Selangor committee, including both Manoharan and Liu.

He said none of the candidates had asked for a withdrawal although they are given until 5pm today to recuse themselves.

Another Selangor leader, Bandar Klang state assemblyperson Teng Chang Khim, has also been nominated to stand in the election.

A controversial figure, Teng who was the former Youth chief of the party, is also a known rival of Liu.

Teng, was alleged to be an instigator to the leadership rift two months ago but he has since denied this and discounted all possibility of him running for leadership of the Selangor state committee.

Highly contentious affair

Meanwhile, the party election in Melaka is also expected to be a highly contentious affair due to what many believe to be a split between state party leaders and their supporters.

Early last year, a dispute broke out between Tengkera state assemblyperson Goh Leong San and Bukit Beruang branch secretary Steven Ho. The quarrel also involved other key leaders including DAP Melaka state chief Sim Tong Him.

The squabble threatened to spill over to neighbouring Negeri Sembilan but it died down later after a gag order was issued to prohibit party leaders from speaking to the press.

The Negeri Sembilan division and four others - Kedah, Kelantan, Terengganu and Sarawak - are not due for state-level elections until next year.

On procedures for selection of state committee candidates, Tan said all nominations have to be submitted to the party's national headquarters three weeks before the conventions.

"All nominations have to reach the party headquarters at least three weeks before the convention. We will then notify the delegates and send out a list of the nominees," he said.

Tan said the first agenda at the respective conventions would be for the election of 15 state committee members. The elected members will then vote among themselves to appoint key office-bearers.