SUNGAI KANDIS POLLS | Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said the PKR candidate for the Sungai Kandis by-election this Saturday stood a very good chance of retaining the seat for Pakatan Harapan.

The Pakatan Harapan chairperson said that based on the results of the 14th general election, the incumbent, the late Mat Shuhaimi Shafiei from PKR won by a bigger majority in retaining the state seat for his third term.

"I think we have a good chance, we won by a good majority before," he told reporters after chairing a Pakatan Harapan presidential council meeting in Petaling Jaya today.

The by-election was called following the death of Mat Shuhaimi, 50, of lymphoma on July 2.

In GE14, Mat Shuhaimi, the former political secretary to former Selangor menteri besar Mohamed Azmin Ali, polled 23,998 votes to defeat the BN candidate Kamaruzzaman Johari (11,518 votes); PAS’ Mohd Yusof Abdullah (7,573) and PRM's Hanafiah Husin (76).

In this by-election, PKR is fielding Maahad Tahfiz Al Fateh principal Mohd Zawawi Ahmad Mughni, 48, who is up against Lokman Noor Adam (BN) and Independent candidate K Murthy.

Mahathir also said that the council was informed about the death of Seri Setia assemblyman Shaharuddin Badaruddin, 55.

Shaharudin, who was also a Selangor state executive councillor, died at the Putrajaya Hospital at 6.28pm today.

He is the third Selangor assemblyperson to have passed away since the general election in May, forcing three by-elections in the state.

The other assemblyman who died was Ng Tien Chee (Balakong).

Ng, 40, (from DAP) was killed in a road accident on the Grand Saga Expressway as he drove from Kuala Lumpur to Kajang on July 20. - Bernama