KLUANG, The selection of Barisan Nasional (BN)'s candidate for the Mahkota state by-election is now in the final stage, said Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin. Mohamed Khaled who is also the UMNO vice- president and BN coordinator for the Mahkota state by-election said many names have been considered and the selected candidate will be announced after the country celebrates National Day. "It (announcement of candidate) will be done when BN launches the election machinery in a little while. Let's finish (celebrating) independence first," he said after launching the e-Perkasa Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) programme of the Armed Forces Fund Board (LTAT) and Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) at Mahkota Camp here today. The Election Commission (EC) set September 28 as the polling day for the Mahkota by-election, while the candidate nomination day is set on September 14. The by-election was held following the death of the incumbent, Datuk Sharifah Azizah Syed Zain, 63, while receiving t reatment at Enche' Besar Hajjah Khalsom Hospital (HEBHK) in Kluang on August 2. Yayasan LTAT and UPSI's e-Perkasa SPM programme is an initiative sponsored by Yayasan LTAT to empower the education of children of Armed Forces personnel who attend school outside the military camp in preparation for the SPM examination in 2024. Source: BERNAMA News Agency