ALOR STAR: It will be a straight fight among Perikatan Nasional and Pakatan Harapan-Barisan Nasional heavyweights in Kedah's state election following the conclusion of the nomination process.
A total of 83 candidates, 10 of them independents, which include Jerlun Bersatu division chief are battling for 36 seats.
Caretaker Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor, who is defending his Jeneri seat for the second term, will face a straight fight with Barisan Nasional candidate Datuk Muhamad Khizri Abu Kassim.
Sanusi, who is also Perikatan Nasional election director won the Jeneri seat in the 14th General Election (GE14) after defeating Barisan Nasional incumbent Mahadzir Abdul Hamid and Pakatan Harapan candidate Mohd Nazri Abu Hassan with a 2,455-vote majority.
There are 35,079 eligible voters in Jeneri with over 90 per cent of them Malays.
Sanusi said he was confident to retain the seat based on the PN's huge majority win in the Sik Parliamentary seat during GE15 in November.
Khizri, who is making his debut in an election said as an underdog, he does not feel pressured in going against Sanusi, who is PN's national election director.
"I am not worried, I don't feel any pressure as I am facing the Menteri Besar from Perikatan Nasional.
"The burden is not on me. It is not surprising if I lose but if I win, Malaysians will remember me for the next five years," said the Umno division chief.
In Padang Terap, Kedah BN chairman Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid, who is making a return to the Pedu seat is determined to replicate his successes in 2004 and 2008.
"I started as an elected representative in Pedu, and at that time I was the underdog. This time, the situation is quite similar, and I am confident the voters will give me an opportunity to serve here," he said filing his nomination papers at the Padang Terap District Office.
Mahdzir will face a straight fight against Pedu incumbent, Mohd Radzi Md Amin, from PN.
Radzi won the seat in the GE14 after defeating BN incumbent Datuk Kama Noriah Ibrahim and PKR's Hashim Idris with a majority of 670 votes.
There are 28,586 eligible voters in the constituency.
"I see a positive trend for BN and PH in Pedu and Kuala Nerang under the Padang Terap parliamentary seat. The combined BN-PH votes based on the prevailing currents can lead to victory," he said.
Meanwhile, state PH chairman Datuk Mahfuz Omar and Kedah football legend Radhi Mat Din will face a repeat of their epic battle seen in the Pokok Sena parliamentary seat five years ago.
They are now vying for the Alor Mengkudu state seat.
While observers see this as Radhi's opportunity to redeem his previous defeat to Mahfuz, the former said he was not out to seek revenge.
"It is just a normal clash in politics. Before this, it was in Pokok Sena and now in Alor Mengkudu. In fact, the issues are different from what we faced in the previous polls," he said.
Another seat to watch in Kedah is Jitra as former Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) vice chancellor Prof Dr Haim Hilman Abdullah who is representing PN, is in a straight fight with PH candidate Datin Sabrina Ahmad, who is state Wanita PKR Wanita chief.
Jitra was held by former menteri besar Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir who had recently announced that his party would sit out of the state election.
In Gurun, it will be the battle of two young guns between Kedah football icon Baddrol Bakhtiar from PN and PH's Mohammed Firdaus Johari.
Firdaus is replacing his father Tan Sri Johari Abdul, who had vacated the seat to assume the post of Dewan Negara speaker.
In Bukit Selambau, incumbent R. Summugam who was reinstated to defend the seat after being initially dropped by PKR, is facing a three-cornered battle.
He will face PN's Azizan Hamzah and Independent candidate M. Dinesh.
Jerlun Bersatu division chief Abdul Ramli @ Latif sprung a surprise when his representatives submitted a nomination for the Kota Siputeh seat.
Abdul will face incumbent from PH Dr Salmee Said and Bersatu's Mohd Ashraf Mustakim Badrul Munir in a three-cornered fight.
Bersatu members in Jerlun had been objecting Ashraf's candidacy because he is not a local.
However, Ashraf brushed off the claim by saying he was raised in Kota Siputeh before migrating to Kuala Lumpur for work.
Abdul is among the 10 Independent candidates who are contesting in seven state seats.
Lunas emerged as the most crowded battleground in Kedah with five candidates joining the fray.
Kedah Bersatu information chief Khairul Anuar Ramli will be battling with PH candidate Shamsul Anuar Abdullah and three independent candidates in Lunas.
The three independent candidates who also joined the fray are Rajenderan Nadarajan; Pannir Selvam S.Suppiah and Arinchindarem Sinnapaven.
In total, there are six seats that will see three-cornered fights.
The other seats that will see three-cornered battles are Kuah, Derga, Guar Chempedak and Bakar Arang.
The other 28 seats will see a straight fight between PN and PH-BN candidates.
