Student Azieza Nour Afifah Azman Zahidi, 20, who is a first-time voter, said she was excited to fulfil her civic duty but was unaware there were candidates who had decided not to contest.

Azieza, who is pursuing her studies at a public higher learning institute in Perak, said she returned to Kampung Tunku Putra here last Friday but was not informed about the matter.

“I don’t get to watch the news because there is no television at my hostel.

“I am home now because it happens to be our mid-semester break,” she said when met after casting her ballot at SMK Sultan Badlishah here.

Another voter, housewife Fauziah Desa, 58, said she might have missed out on the announcement regarding the candidates’ withdrawal.

“I didn’t know about this at all. I am casting my ballot here although I am living in the Kulim-Bandar Baharu parliamentary constituency because I used to rent a house here,” she said.

Meanwhile, Luqman Hakim Aliakabar, 21, said he learnt about the candidates pulling out from the contest through social media.

Luqman, from Kampung Syed Sheikh here, said that although this was his first time voting, he made it a point to keep abreast of the current political development.

“I knew the two candidates had withdrawn. So, there is no need to vote for them despite their names appearing on the ballot paper. Besides, I have already decided who to vote for,” he said.

Earlier Barisan Nasional’s candidate C Sivaraj and Warisan’s Bakhri Hashim pulled out from the contest for the Padang Serai parliamentary seat to make way for Sofee.

However, the names of these two candidates still remain on the ballot papers, based on Article 9 of the Elections (Election Process) Regulations 1981, which states that no candidate can withdraw from the contest after the end of the nomination process.