He said the EC was officially notified today by Selangor assembly speaker Ng Suee Lim of the vacant seat following the death yesterday of the assemblyman, Shaharuddin Badaruddin.

Shaharuddin, 55, who was the Selangor Islamic affairs, education and human capital development committee chairman, died of colon cancer at Putrajaya Hospital.

Othman spoke to reporters after the handing over of ballot boxes to election workers conducting the Sungai Kandis state by-election, the polling for which is tomorrow.

The Sungai Kandis by-election is the first by-election after the 14th general election on May 9. It is being held following the death of the assemblyman Mat Shuhaimi Shafiei, 50, of PKR, of lymphoma cancer on July 2.

The second by-election, for the Balakong state seat, also in Selangor, was caused by the death of the assemblyman, Ng Tien Chee, 40, of DAP, in an accident on the Grand Saga Expressway on July 20.

Nomination for the Balakong by-election is on Aug 18 and polling on Sept 8.

Asked whether the Seri Setia by-election could be held simultaneously with the Balakong by-election, Othman said it would depend on the outcome of the EC meeting as many aspects had to be taken into account, including the location, workers and logistics.

In the Sungai Kandis by-election, the contest is among Mohd Zawawi Ahmad Mughni of Pakatan Harapan-PKR, Lokman Noor Adam of Barisan Nasional-Umno and independent K Murthy.