KUALA LUMPUR: Barisan Nasional candidate for the Sungai Udang state seat Datuk Seri Mohamad Ali Mohamad, who lost in the recent Melaka state election, has filed an election petition to annul the victory of Dr Mohd Aleef Yusof from Perikatan Nasional.

       Mohamad Ali, 57, who filed the petition on Dec 14 at the Melaka High Court, alleged that there were elements of corruption involved in the constituency during the Nov 20 election.

       He named Dr Mohd Aleef, 35, who won with a majority of 530 votes in the four-cornered fight, the returning officer for the state seat during the election and the Election Commission as the first to third respondents.

       In his petition, Mohamad Ali claimed Dr Mohd Aleef was a member of the Hang Tuah Jaya Umno Youth committee before being nominated by Bersatu to contest in Sungai Udang.

       Mohamad Ali said Dr Mohd Aleef had never been elected as an assemblyman before, or ever contested in any election in the area, and had to rely on Tanah Merah MP Datuk Seri Ikmal Hisham Abdul Aziz to introduce himself to voters.

       Ikmal Hisham is a former Umno member who joined Bersatu after Barisan’s defeat to Pakatan Harapan in the 14th General Election. He resigned from Umno and joined Bersatu in 2019.

       Mohamad Ali claimed that Dr Mohd Aleef had committed corrupt practices in the election as stated under

       Section 32 (c) of the Election Offences Act 1954.

       He has sought a declaration that Dr Mohd Aleef was not duly elected in the election, and that the election in the constituency was null and void, besides other orders or relief deemed appropriate by the court.

       The Melaka High Court has set Dec 30 for case management. - Bernama