KUALA LUMPUR: MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu is expected to be in for a straight fight for the Sungai Siput parliamentary seat in the general election.

DAP, which has traditionally contested the seat, has this time given way to Parti Keadilan Rakyat.

In the 2004 general election, both the DAP and Keadilan contested the seat in a three-cornered fight with Barisan Nasional.

Samy Vellu, the incumbent, won by a 10,349-vote majority. He received 19,029 votes compared with 8,680 for PKR's Dr Michael Jeyakumar and 2,890 for DAP's Sanmugan Ponmugam.

Jeyakumar, a Parti Socialis Malaysia central committee member, had then contested on a PKR ticket as his party is not registered.
DAP, in a recent seat allocation meeting with PKR, agreed to make way for PKR to contest in Sungai Siput.

PKR, like in the last election, has agreed to allow PSM to contest the seat on its ticket. An announcement by PKR is expected today.

Jeyakumar, when contacted in Ipoh, said he has been unofficially informed of the latest development. "I am waiting for the official announcement today."

He said PSM had not decided on the candidate this time around.

"It will either be me or PSM's national deputy chairperson (G. Saras)," he said.

He said PSM was also negotiating with DAP to allow them to contest the Jalong state seat, which was under the Sungai Siput parliamentary constituency, on a PKR ticket.

"If we get Jalong as well, Saras and I will contest in either one of the two seats," he said.

In return, he said PSM would not contest in the Buntong, Jelapang and Bercham state seats in Perak.

"We (PSM) have a strong influence in these three areas and have a realistic chance of winning.

"But we are willing to make way in all three seats in exchange for only the Jalong state seat where we have considerable support as we have done a lot of work there. We are still negotiating with them and have not given up hope."

On DAP's offer to PSM to contest the Lintang state seat, he said: "We cannot go there because, to begin with, that seat is not traditionally DAP's. It has been traditionally contested by Pas which has now given it to PKR."