JOHOR BARU – Segamat incumbent MP Datuk Seri Edmund Santhara Kumar will not be defending his seat after failing to show up at the nomination centre this morning.
For now, his name is not in the final list of candidates released by the Election Commission (EC).
Santhara was one of seven Parti Bangsa Malaysia (PBM) candidates who would supposedly represent the pro-Barisan Nasional (BN) party in the election.
Santhara and PBM have yet to issue any statements on the matter.
The Vibes has reached out to him for comments.
In the 2018 general election, Santhara helped Pakatan Harapan (PH) secure victory in a three-cornered contest against BN’s Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam and PAS’ Khairul Faizi Ahmad Kamil.
He was part of a group of PKR MPs that quit the party in 2020’s Sheraton Move, joining Bersatu, which led to the collapse of the PH federal administration.
However, he recently left Bersatu for PBM.
With Santhara out of the fray, Segamat will see a four-corner contest between Tan Sri M. Ramasamy (BN), R. Yuneswaran (PH), Poobalan Ponnusamy (Perikatan Nasional), and Syed Hairoul Faizey Syed Ali (Pejuang). – The Vibes, November 5, 2022
