Independent candidate Mohd Akhir Ayob, an army veteran, was first to arrive at 8.10am. Idris arrived at 8.33am in an orange Baju Melayu, walking into the nomination centre’s premises with his proposer and seconder.
“We leave it to God,” said the Pakatan Harapan (PH) candidate, when asked by reporters about how he felt this morning.
Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate, and Melaka Umno Youth chief, Fairul Nizam Roslan arrived shortly after.
Gerakan’s Dhanesh Basil, representing PN, arrived at 9am.
He told reporters that it felt “extraordinary” to be contesting against a former Melaka chief minister, and that he was “very confident” heading into the polls.
Two more independent candidates, Azmar Abdul Hamid and Muhammad Noor Salleh, arrived at 9.10am and 9.15am, respectively.
Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department chief Abd Jalil Hassan also made a surprise appearance at the nomination centre, arriving at 8.55am.
It was a muted affair for all six candidates compared with previous elections, with little to no supporters accompanying them, except for their proposers and seconders.
Returning officer Luqmannulhakim Mohamad Idris confirmed that the nominations of all six candidates had been accepted.
At a brief press conference later, Idris said the crowded field showed that democracy was well and alive in Asahan.
He also dismissed speculation over the coalition’s choice for Melaka chief minister, saying the future of the people of the state was more important than his.
“Idris Haron is not important. All other individuals are also not important,” he said.
He added that what PH wanted was to offer a clean political landscape that is respected by the people.
It is his first time campaigning against BN and Umno after being a party member for over 30 years.
He was booted out of the party last month for toppling the previous BN-led state administration, where he was an executive councillor.
After serving two terms as the assemblyman for Sungai Udang, this is his first time contesting elsewhere.
Despite opposition from DAP over fielding Idris as a PH candidate, coalition chairman Anwar Ibrahim went ahead announcing that the former Umno man would represent PKR.
In the 2018 general election, Asahan was won by Umno’s Abdul Ghafar Atan with a slim majority of 275 votes ahead of Bersatu’s Zamzuri Arifin.
Following the fall of the PH state government, Abdul Ghafar served as the housing, local government and environment executive councillor. He was not named by BN as a candidate this time around.
The Malay community makes up 64% of the constituency’s demographics, followed by the Chinese (23%), Indian (11%) and others (2%), according to GE14 statistics.