Murali Pillai wins Bukit Batok by-election

SINGAPORE — Mr Murali Pillai of the People’s Action Party (PAP) has won the Bukit Batok by-election with 61.2 percent of the votes, the Elections Department (ELD) announced on Saturday night (May 7).

His opponent from the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), Dr Chee Soon Juan, garnered 38.8 per cent of votes in a one-on-one for the single member ward.

Mr Murali, a lawyer, received 14,428 votes while Dr Chee obtained 9,142 votes. There were 622 rejected votes, and a total of 23,570 valid votes cast. A total of 24,192 votes were cast in Singapore (inclusive of 622 rejected votes), making up 94.03% of the 25,727 registered electors. 

The full results were announced at about 11.26pm on Saturday (May 7). Earlier, the ELD released a sample count which showed Mr Murali ahead with a similar margin.

Mr Murali’s victory margin was worse the performance of his predecessor, Mr David Ong, who received 73.02 per cent of the votes during the 2015 General Elections.

Dr Chee’s did better than Mr Sadasivam Veriyah of the SDP, who obtained 26.38 per cent of the votes during the last GE.

The by-election was triggered by Mr Ong’s abrupt resignation, which reports have linked to an alleged extramarital affair.

In his final rally speech on Thursday night, Mr Murali asked for a “very strong” mandate from voters in Bukit Batok so that he could continue to serve them. The 48-year-old has been a grassroots activist in the constituency for 16 years.

“This is not about myself, this is about you, serving you ... With your mandate, I would personally lead my team of dedicated volunteers whom I have known for 16 years,” Mr Murali said on Thursday.

Mr Murali’s victory means that the SDP, which once had three seats in Parliament, will continue its almost two decades-long absence from the House.