SG BESAR POLLS BN's Sungai Besar by-election candidate Budiman Mohd Zohdi is hitting the campaign trail hard to meet voters.

Unlike his opponents from PAS and Amanah though, the first term-Sungai Panjang assemblyperson is a familiar face to the semi-rural Sungai Besar folks.

In the 10 days of campaigning so far, Budiman said he has met 65 percent of the constituency's 42,836 voters whom he claimed to have reacted positively towards him.

"Alhamdulillah, based on my feel-good factor, we've been doing well.

"Our team has been working hard, and my brand is slowly being accepted by the people," he said when met on the campaign trail.

The brand Budiman was referring to is his personalised style of campaigning which differs greatly from his opponents.

Both PAS' Dr Rani Osman and Amanah's Azhar Shukur usually address the voters for less than five minutes, often repeating the same and much overdone 'please vote for me' plea, peppered with a dash of rhetoric.

Both also rely heavily on other speakers, especially top party leaders.

Budiman, on the other hand, can hold his own with voters, talking to them like a neighbour asking for a cup of sugar.

The 44-year-old presents himself as an approachable humble, local boy who is part of the community and understands the villagers' daily concerns.

He regularly prefers not to speak behind a table or on a rostrum, signalling to his audience that there's no barrier between them.

His speeches often include little village community in-jokes, such as mak ciks making fun of his slick straight hair, which they think is fake.

Even when campaigning with Rela volunteers, Budiman managed to put a personal touch by signing up as a new recruit and donning the corps' green uniform as he petitioned for their votes.

He's a likeable candidate, and based on Malaysiakini's observations, possibly a winnable one.

But as the ruling coalition rumbles along towards a likely victory, is this kampung boy ready to take on national politics in Parliament?

"I'm ready, and there's no need to forget about our locality, this is our grassroots.

"We will talk about national issues but local issues must be addressed too.

"This local boy image is a value (that I bring)," Budiman said.

Thus far though, he has declined to comment on national issues, including PAS' hudud plans which is a hot topic this election.

Moderate candidate

When hammered on whether he would support amendments that can potentially pave the way for hudud law, Budiman's response earlier in the campaign was: "Let me win first."

While he has skirted the issue directly, Budiman is presenting himself as a moderate candidate acceptable to Muslims and non-Muslims alike.

This is in a race where his two rivals come from Islam-based parties which BN, or at least MCA, is trying to paint as extremists who would definitely support the implementation of hudud.

Budiman was one of the new faces Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak fielded in the 2013 general election, replacing former Selangor menteri besar Khir Toyo who decided not to defend his Sungai Panjang state seat that year.

He now faces the task of defending a seat the late Noriah Kasnon won in 2013 with a wafer-thin majority of 399 votes.

However, with opposition votes split between PAS and Amanah this time around, it may not be as tough a battle as it was before.

The climax in this stand-off between Budiman, Rani and Azhar will take place this Saturday.