Two separate Election Courts sitting in Ipoh today dismissed with costs PKR's petitions to annul the results of the Bagan Datoh and Tapah parliamentary seats, which were won by BN in the 13th

general glection.

Judge Umi Kalthum Abdul Majid held that the petition for Bagan Datoh, which was filed by PKR candidate Madhi Hasan and voter Azmi Sulaiman, had failed to adhere to Rule 9 of the Election Petition Rules 1954.

This rule requires the name of the petitioner's lawyer to be stated in the document and does not accept filings by law firms.

Umi Kalthum ordered Madhi and Azmi to pay RM25,000 in costs each to the respondent, Bagan Datoh MP and Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

NONE In another court, judge Abdul Rahman Sebli dismissed the petition filed by PKR candidate K Vasantha Kumar ( left ) to annul the Tapah parliamentary seat result, on the grounds that it had not adhered to the rules of the Election Petition Rules 1954.

K. Vasantha Kumar was ordered to pay RM50,000 each in costs to the three respondents, namely Tapah MP M Saravanan, Tapah division returning officer Razali Bakar and the Election Commission.

Ahmad Zahid won the Bagan Datoh seat by a majority of 2,108 votes, while Saravanan defeated Vasantha Kumar and independent candidates Ridzuan Bani and Shaharuzzaman Bistamam to win the Tapah seat with a majority of 7,927 votes.

- Bernama