Kuala Lumpur : As election year 2024 unfolds for MIC, attention is shifting towards the national level posts. The branch elections have concluded. The President, Tan Sri S.A. Vigneswaran, was elected unopposed. Currently, division-level elections are in progress.
The upcoming state-level elections are generating less excitement. This phase involves electing 10 executive members for the state, one of whom will be appointed as the State Chairman by the National President. Therefore, the focus has shifted to the national-level positions.
No contest for Deputy President
For the post of Deputy President, no significant challenge is expected against Datuk Seri M. Saravanan. Any potential candidates must secure 250 nominations, each proposed and seconded by a branch head. Therefore, a total of 500 branch leaders’ support is required to challenge the Deputy President, let alone defeat him. Given these stringent requirements coupled with his popularity and support in MIC, Saravanan’s election as Deputy President again is a foregone conclusion.
Vice Presidential race
MIC sources said it is the race for the three elected Vice Presidents that is generating interest and excitement within the party circles. The current Vice Presidents are Datuk T. Mohan, Datuk T. Murugaiah, and Datuk M. Asojan. All three are expected to run for re-election. Additionally, there are two nominated Vice Presidents, namely Senator Dato’ Sri Velpaari Samy Vellu and Datuk Kohilan Pillai.
Potential Challengers
No official announcements have been made yet as to who will contest for the Vice President’s position. However, there are indications that several leaders are gearing up to unseat one of the incumbents.
The nominated Vice Presidents, namely Vel Paari and Kohilan Pillai, may want to test their support base in the party by opting for a contest this year.
Datuk A.K. Ramalingam, who contested for Vice President in 2019, is likely to run again this year.
Senator Datuk Nelson Ranganathan, the chairman of the MIC’s Education Committee, may also enter the race.
Tan Sri Ramasamy, the current Treasurer-General of MIC, is also rumored to be eyeing the Vice President’s position.
Nominations for national-level posts are scheduled to be held on 22 June 2024. In the event of a contest, voting will take place on the 6th of July 2024.
As the division-level elections are taking place, MIC’s attention is now firmly on the national-level elections, especially for the 3 Vice Presidents and 23 Central Working Committee members.
Once divisional elections are concluded, more candidates could be expected for the Vice Presidential race.
