PETALING JAYA: Johor heads to a historic election on March 12 with 18 to 20-year-olds casting their ballots for the first time with the lowering of the voting age from 21.

       The election is being held after the state assembly was dissolved on Jan 22.

       The death of Kempas assemblyman Datuk Osman Sapian the previous month left the state government led by Datuk Hasni Mohammad with just one seat majority over Pakatan Harapan.

       Battle royal

       The following is the list of candidates vying for the 56 seats in the Johor assembly:

       The number of candidates in the coming election has gone up 51% percent to 239 compared with the 158 in the 2018 general election (GE14).

       How Johor politics shaped up since GE14

       At GE14, Pakatan Harapan swept to victory by winning 36 of the 56 seats in the Johor state assembly.

       JOHOR MAP

       Three Mentris Besar since GE14

       Following Pakatan Harapan's GE14 win, Kempas assemblyman Osman Sapian from Bersatu was appointed Mentri Besar.

       Osman however resigned less than a year in April 2019.

       He was replaced by Bukit Kepong assemblyman Datuk Dr Sahruddin Jamal who is also from Bersatu.

       The collapse of the Pakatan Harapan state government after the withdrawal of Bersatu saw Barisan Nasional's Hasni appointed Mentri Besar in February 2020.

       Hasni led a state government comprising Umno, Bersatu and PAS.

       The state government had 29 seats with a slim two-seat majority over Pakatan Harapan which had 27.

       The death of former Mentri Besar Osman on Dec 21 last year, left the Kempas seat vacant, narrowing the Johor government's majority to just one seat over Pakatan Harapan.

       Switching parties

       Since GE14, several state assembly representatives have shifted allegiances.

       Three Barisan Nasional representatives from Umno - Rasman Ithnain (Sedili), Rosleli Jahari (Johor Lama) and Alwiyah Talib (Endau) quit the party and joined Bersatu in 2018 after GE14.

       Pakatan Harapan saw its Pemanis assemblyman Dr Chong Fat Full of PKR quitting party to join Perikatan Nasional's Bersatu in Aug 2020.

       In February last year, three assemblymen from Amanah - Faizul Amri Adnan (Serom), Khairuddin Rahim (Senggarang) and Muhamad Said Jonit (Mahkota) - quit their party to join fellow Pakatan Harapan component PKR.

       Puteri Wangsa assemblyman Mazlan Bujang, who ran on a Bersatu ticket in GE14, quit the party earlier this month on Feb 3, 12 days after the dissolution of the assembly.