Academic Azmi Hassan said unlike previous MIC polls held every three years, the grassroots would punish candidates who supported Perikatan Nasional during Muhyiddin Yassin’s administration.
“The elections will be divided as some MIC leaders had supported Perikatan Nasional while others stood by Barisan Nasional,” he told FMT.
Azmi said there was also a feeling of rejuvenation within the party after VP Shanmugam won a six-cornered fight for the Gadek seat in Melaka.
He said the party would now gun for more seats in the 15th general election (GE15).
“There is a sense of revival within the party and today’s polls will be about those who the grassroots think can take them through GE15,” he said.
MIC contested nine parliamentary seats in GE14 but won only one – in Tapah.
The MIC elections, to be held from 4pm to 7pm, will see six leaders facing off for the three vice-presidents’ posts.
C Sivarraajh, T Mohan and T Murugiah will be challenged by current secretary-general M Asojan, executive secretary AK Ramalingam and information chief V Gunalan.
Sivarraajh, the former Cameron Highlands MP, is seen as a grassroots man championing the rights of the poor and has been active in drawing up policies to uplift the Indian community.
Mohan, a senator, is seen within party circles as being vocal and with good grassroots support.
Asojan has a strong base in Johor, while Gunalan was the former Kota Raja candidate in GE14.
Ramalingam, a party veteran, made a stronger comeback after losing his membership for taking the Registrar of Societies to court and for going against the party’s 2009 Central Working Committee (CWC).
A source in the party said Murugiah, Asojan and Ramalingam were seen to be closely aligned to party president SA Vigneswaran while the other three have strong grassroots support.
“There is intense campaigning for the vice-presidents’ posts as they hope to contest in parliamentary seats during GE15,” he told FMT.
Sixty candidates, mostly party veterans, will vie for the 21 CWC posts.
The party polls will be held at 145 divisions and the results are expected to be announced by midnight.
Some 24,000 committee members from over 4,000 branches nationwide will vote and decide the national leadership of the 75-year-old party.
On May 26, Vigneswaran was returned unopposed as the president, while M Saravanan, the human resources minister, retained his MIC deputy president’s post.
Party wing elections held on Oct 30 also saw Tenggaroh assemblyman K Raven Kumar returned as the youth chief unopposed.
Former MIC Wanita chief Mohana Muniandy defeated incumbent J Usha Nandhini. Mohana, who was the MIC Wanita chief from 2013 to 2018, did not defend the post in the party election in 2018.