NO matter how hard they tried, politicians from both Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Rakyat could not supplant the relaxed vibe of Kuala Terengganu. And so the calm mood persisted into the morning of polling day, 17 Jan, even as the cloudy weather of late gave way to a rare sunny day.
All across the Kuala Terengganu parliamentary constituency, supporters from the competing parties jammed the streets in a gridlock of blue and green (as well as the conspicuous pink of Puteri Umno), armed with only a jovial mood.
PAS candidate Mohd Abdul Wahid Endut and his family came fifteen minutes early to his polling station in Sekolah Kebangsaan Chabang Tiga in the Wakaf Mempelam area.
BN candidate, Umno’s Datuk Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh, turned up to vote at Sekolah Kebangsaan Bukit Besar in Ladang, accompanied by his wife. The third candidate in the by-election is independent Azharudin Mamat @ Adam. Bernama reported that Azharudin Mamat did not cast his vote as he is a registered voter in the Petaling Jaya Utara parliamentary area.
By noon, 41.84% of the electorate had already cast their votes, many of them elderly citizens, whilst younger voters preferred to enjoy their morning lie-in.
There are a total of 80,229 registered voters in the constituency, including 1,035 postal voters. 
See also: Polling in KT begins
Danny Lim is a freelance journalist and photographer.
