KLUANG, The voting for the Mahkota state assembly by-election concluded today, with all 20 polling centres, which opened at 8 am, officially closing at 6 pm. The counting of votes will now take place at the Dewan Tunku Ibrahim Ismail here. According to data from the Election Commission (EC), 61,397 voters were eligible to cast their ballots today, while early voting took place last Tuesday, and postal ballots were issued on Sept 15. Overall, the Mahkota state constituency has 66,318 registered voters, with the majority being Malay at 56 percent, followed by Chinese at 34 percent, Indian at eight percent, and the remainder from other ethnic groups. In its statement, the EC said that 47.16 percent of voters had exercised their rights to elect a new representative by 4 pm. The weather in Kluang was clear in the morning, but there was heavy rain in the afternoon as forecasted by the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia). The Mahkota by-election in the Kluang parliamentary constituency featured a straight contest between Barisan Nasional candidate Syed Hussien Syed Abdullah and Perikatan Nasional candidate Mohamad Haizan Jaafar. It is being held following the death of the incumbent, Datuk Sharifah Azizah Syed Zain, 63, on Aug 2 while she was receiving treatment at the Enche' Besar Hajjah Khalsom Hospital. Source: BERNAMA News Agency