PETALING JAYA (April 11): The election fever heats up in Perak following Batu Gajah's "Cili Padi" announcing the decision not to contest, with V Sivakumar being the likely "natural successor" for the Parliament constituency.

Responding to Batu Gajah incumbent Fong Po Kuan's announcement that she was sitting out the 13th general election (GE13), Perak DAP secretary Nga Kor Ming said he did not discount the possibility that Sivakumar may be fielded for the parliamentary seat.

Nga said Sivakumar, who is incumbent for the Tronoh state seat and DAP deputy chairman in Perak, "has been working in Batu Gajah for the past five years".

Nga added that he was popular and well-respected and the grassroots seemed to have grown fond of him (Sivakumar).

"If the party endorses his candidature, he will be an ideal candidate," Nga said, adding that he was confident the party will be able to retain the seat, as "Sivakumar is not a newcomer, he is natural successor".

Sivakumar is famed as the former Perak speaker who refused to give up his seat when the Barisan Nasional took over the state government following the defection of three Pakatan Rakyat state assembly members in 2009.

Images of Sivakumar being bodily dragged away from the first Perak state legislative assembly sitting following the switch in government dominated online news portal coverage at that time.

Nga said he respected Fong's decision to sit out GE13 and thanked her for her contribution to the party.

He also wished her the best in her future endeavours, glossing over any talk of bad blood, if any, between the two.

Rumours have been rife over the past few years of discord between Fong and the two cousins – Nga and state DAP chairman Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham – fuelling speculation of her decision not to contest.

When asked, Nga replied: "This is not true," adding that Fong's husband was based in Johor thus making it difficult for her to work in her Batu Gajah constituency.

"If you read her statement, she said she is not contesting for personal reasons," Nga insisted.

However, he welcomed Fong to campaign for DAP in Johor, especially where her husband, the Johor DAP secretary Tan Chen Choon, will be fielded.

In her statement yesterday, Fong said she had written to DAP's parliament leader Lim Kit Siang and national chairman Karpal Singh last September to notify them of her decision not to contest.

Fong thanked the party, Batu Gajah constituents and supporters for giving her the opportunity to represent them in parliament, as well as journalists and civil servants who provided cooperation to her since 2008.

Fong pledged to play her role in helping Pakatan Rakyat on its course to Putrajaya.

Fong won the seat in in 1999, and in the process became the youngest MP at the age of 26. Due to her vocal nature, she earned the nickname "Cili Padi". She served three terms as Batu Gajah MP.

Fong had announced in 2008, that she was not going to contest but she was persuaded to stay on by party leadership.

With Fong now out of the picture, speculation is rife over the fate of Ipoh Barat incumbent MP M Kulasegaran, who is also said to have friction with the Ngeh and Nga faction.

Kulasegaran told fz.com he would disclose next week if he will contest in Johor instead.

Asked if he had his eye on any particular seat in the southern state, he said he had not made any decision yet but admitted that he has been working in Johor for the past year.

As it stands, heavyweight leaders such as DAP supremo Lim and PAS vice president Salahuddin Ayub are moving to Johor in a bid to break BN's fortress.

It is uncertain if fielding another senior DAP leader such as Kulasegaran will augur well for the opposition coalition.