JELEBU (July 18): DAP secretary general Anthony Loke Siew Fook said the party cannot rely solely on Chinese support and must continue to reach out to voters across the multi-ethnic electorate in the upcoming Negeri Sembilan state election on Aug 1.

He said many constituencies in the state have become mixed seats following the implementation of automatic voter registration, while the proportion of Chinese voters has declined due to an ageing population, lower birth rates and the migration of younger residents to urban areas.

"Many seats have seen the Chinese electorate fall to around 50%, so we cannot rely solely on Chinese support. We must have the courage to seek support across all communities, including Malays and the Orang Asli," he said after the nomination process concluded on Saturday.

Loke, who is defending the Chennah state seat which he has held since 2013, will face MCA Youth chief Siow Kong Choon, who is contesting on a Barisan Nasional (BN) ticket, in a straight fight.

Chennah is a mixed constituency, comprising 46.3% Malay voters, 44.3% Chinese voters, 2.1% Indian voters and 7.3% voters from other groups.

In the previous state election, Loke retained Chennah with a majority of 2,200 votes in a straight fight against a Perikatan Nasional (PN) candidate.

Loke, who is also transport minister, described Chennah as an important battleground for DAP in the state election.

He added that the party would intensify its outreach efforts in Malay villages throughout the campaign and organise engagement sessions with local communities.

He also said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is expected to campaign in the constituency during the election period.

Find out all you need to know about the 2026 Negeri Sembilan election here.