Posters and banners bearing candidates’ faces began blanketing the streets of Singapore on Wednesday as the city state embarked on nine days of intense campaigning ahead of a general election on May 3, with attention focused on three key battleground wards.
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On Nomination Day, last-minute ministerial redeployments added an element of surprise, setting the stage for fierce competition in the group representation constituencies (GRCs) of Punggol, Tampines and West Coast.
Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong has left his long-held Chua Chu Kang GRC for the newly created multi-seat Punggol GRC, while Manpower Minister Tan See Leng, previously expected to lead the team in Marine Parade-Braddell Heights, has shifted west to Gan’s former ward. These moves came despite both ministers earlier announcing they would remain in their respective constituencies.
In Punggol, Gan faces a formidable challenge from the Workers’ Party’s (WP) star candidate, legal counsel Harpreet Singh, who leads their team. However, Gan’s high profile and deep popularity are expected to make this a closely contested fight.
The anticipated contest in Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC fizzled out after the WP opted not to field a slate there, handing the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) an uncontested victory for the first time since 2011.
In East Coast GRC, a former hotbed of competition during the 2020 general election, the WP has returned to contest but without its top candidates this time. Analysts believe this may have influenced the PAP’s decision not to deploy senior figures such as Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat or Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean, both of whom announced their retirement from politics shortly after nomination proceedings concluded.
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