STATE POLLS | At dusk on Tuesday, the normally quiet Taman Perda in Penang roars with life as night market vendors set up for business.

This time, things are slightly different. Some 20 activists in Pakatan Harapan uniforms are dining at a restaurant nearby, waiting for the Bayan Lepas incumbent assemblyperson Azrul Mahathir Aziz to show up for his walkabout.

When Azrul eventually arrived, the entourage leaps into action, greeting every market-goer in sight.

Azrul sets himself apart from the vote canvassers by wearing a plain shirt, slacks and leather shoes. His only election paraphernalia...