KLUANG, A total of 29.08 per cent of the 61,274 electors eligible to vote in the Mahkota by-election today have cast their ballots as of noon, according to the Election Commission (EC). Voting at the 20 polling centres, which have 109 streams, started at 8 am and will end at 6 pm. EC chairman Datuk Seri Ramlan Harun said they are expecting a voter turnout of more than 60 per cent. After the polling ends, vote counting will be done at the polling centres before ballots are taken to Dewan Tunku Ibrahim Ismail for vote-tallying. The results are expected to be announced as early as 9 pm. The by-election is a straight fight between Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate Syed Hussien Syed Abdullah and Perikatan Nasional's Mohamad Haizan Jaafar. Early voting on Tuesday involved 4,437 military personnel and their spouses, as well as police personnel. Additionally, 607 postal ballots were issued on Sept 15. The by-election is being held following the death of incumbent Datuk Sharifah Azizah Syed Zain, 63, of BN on Au g 2. Source: BERNAMA News Agency