As polling stations are about to close shortly in the Mas Gading parliamentary constituency, there are early indications that State Reform Party (Star) president Dr Patau Rubis, standing on a Sarawak National Party (Snap) ticket, is going to wrest the seat from Barisan Nasional incumbent Dr Tiki Lafe.

At least two state BN senior leaders who asked not to be identified had admitted by noon that feedbacks from the ground pointed to Patau winning in a wave of new Bidayuh sentiments for Patau and Snap.

Patau's chief campaigner Jihim Minos, speaking by phone from the Snap operations centre in Lundu, told malaysiakini that at the last minute, supporters of a BN component party with a strong base in Lundu were also helping out.

Malaysiakini

learned that even special branch officers on the ground were reporting strong support for Patau, a former assistant state minister who was sacked by Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud.

He later formed Star, but has not been successful so far in getting elected in both state and parliamentary elections since.

His strategy to contest on a Snap ticket now may turn out to be a right move as the party still has a lot of followers in Mas Gading .

The man he is challenging is formerly with Snap, and left the party together with several others to form the Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP).

The contest in Mas Gading is seen as a fight between the two doctors as well as between Snap and SPDP.

Low turnout in other areas

In another constituency which is being closely watched is Petra Jaya , a predominantly-Malay urban seat, which is seeing a straight fight between Keadilan's Wan Zainal Abidin Wan Sanusi and BN's Fadillah Yusop.

By 2pm, Wan Zainal told malaysiakini that the voter turnout on average was still low at around 50 per cent, with the Malay areas in Satok registering a turnout of only 30 per cent.

Even in Bandar Kuching , where the BN's Wee Kok Tiong is being challenged by DAP's Chong Chieng Jen in a straight fight, the voter turnout was also reported to be low. By 2pm, it was around 40 percent.

Over in Sibu, Sarawak DAP chairperson Wong Ho Leng said that the voter turnout in his own constituency in Sibu was around 50 per cent at around 2pm.

"I expect there will be sudden increase later in the afternoon," he added.

Another 'hot' seat is Baram where Snap's Kebing Wan is taking on BN-SPDP's Jacob Sagan.

By 2pm, according to Kebing, feedbacks from the ground indicated voter turnout was low, at around 50 per cent.

"The young people are working in towns, and this is also harvesting time," he reasoned.