The voters, in 73 state constituencies, will choose from a crop of 447 candidates, including 56 independents, to decide who will represent them in the state assembly and govern Sabah for the next five years.
In one corner of this electoral ring is Warisan Plus and in the other is Gabungan Rakyat Sabah, made up of the political giants BN and PN and smaller local parties.
Also in the ring is an alphabet soup of smaller parties including PCS, LDP, PPRS, Usno, PKS, PPRS, Harapan, and PGRS.
This election will also determine the outcome of a comeback effort by two former chief ministers, Chong Kah Kiat and Salleh Said Keruak, and former Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat, Pandikar Amin Mulia.
During the two-week campaign, the main voice of Warisan Plus has been Shafie Apdal, the Warisan president, who has been criss-crossing the state pushing the coalition’s message of unity.
Also making whistle-stop visits at various districts for the past two weeks has been Sabah Umno chief Bung Moktar Radin who, like other BN and PN leaders, have painted the two-year Warisan-led state government as “hopeless.”
The campaign has seen the unfolding of myriad episodes of political drama beginning with BN and PN leaders clamouring over who should be the next chief minister.
And recently voters were left flabbergasted when Warisan’s Segama candidate Mohammadin Ketapi was seen in a widely circulated video as claiming that the Tanduo intrusion in Lahad Datu was nothing more than playacting (sandiwara).
As voters head to the polls, some political observers here say this election is too close to call and could see the two main contenders – Warisan Plus and GRS – winning an almost equal number of seats.
Political analyst Lee Kuok Tiung of Universiti Malaysia Sabah believes that apart from Warisan Plus and GRS, only two other parties are likely to make an impact: LDP and PCS.
Should Warisan Plus and GRS win an almost equal number of seats, these smaller parties could become the “kingmaker” by deciding which side to support.
Unless a decisive result emerges today, Sabah’s politically messy situation is likely to continue in the days or weeks to come.
It is now up to Sabah voters to decide.
Click here for the latest on the Sabah polls