Kohilan said he had sought a meeting with Batu MCA chief Lim Beng Hean over the division’s dissatisfaction with his nomination, but was told Lim needed a few days to get back to him.

“Maybe the division chairman (Lim) is still upset, but the grassroots members support me,” said Kohilan, who is an MIC vice-president.

He said he had worked with previous Batu MPs from Gerakan when the party was with BN. “I was an ex-Gerakan member. So I have worked with (former MPs) Alex Lee Yu Lung and Joseph Chong Chek Ah,” he said.

It was previously reported that Batu MCA had shut down its operations room in the parliamentary constituency to protest Kohilan’s candidacy.

Last week, MCA president Wee Ka Siong said his party would contest in Batu after the Padang Serai parliamentary seat had been “handed over” to MIC.

However, MIC president SA Vigneswaran maintained that the party would field a candidate in Batu, not MCA, adding that there would be no more swaps.

This was later confirmed on nomination day, with Kohilan contesting in a 10-cornered fight for the seat.