PSM said Bawani was the most suitable candidate to take on the giants from the two main coalitions – Perikatan Nasional and Barisan Nasional – as she was born and raised in Ayer Kuning.

“She will again be the candidate for PSM in the upcoming by-election and has received endorsements from both the state and national PSM leaderships,” it said in a statement.

Bawani lost to Ishsam Shahruddin of BN in her previous attempt to win the same state seat in the 15th general election. She only garnered 586 votes to Ishsam’s 9,088 in a five-cornered contest.

Bawani currently serves as PSM’s deputy secretary-general and Perak chapter chief. She is a human rights lawyer fighting for farmers, estate workers and Orang Asli communities across Perak.

Bawani gained popularity in 2013 after becoming the centre of the viral “Listen, listen, listen” video, in which she argued for the right to free education with then Suara Wanita 1 Malaysia (SW1M) president Sharifah Zohra Jabeen. The video garnered over 1.4 million views on YouTube.

The Ayer Kuning by-election was called following Ishsam’s death on Feb 22. He won the seat in GE15 with a 2,213-vote majority.

Tapah Umno secretary Yusri Bakir has been named as BN’s candidate for the Ayer Kuning by-election while PN is expected to announce its candidate later today.