SINGAPORE: The People’s Action Party (PAP) team led by Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo will face a challenge from the People’s Alliance for Reform (PAR) in Jalan Besar GRC at the upcoming polls.

The ruling party made no change to the four-member slate announced during the candidate introduction earlier in April, comprising Mrs Teo, 56, Ms Denise Phua, 66, Dr Wan Rizal, 46, and Mr Shawn Loh, 38, a former senior civil servant and a new entrant to politics.

On the opposition slate is Mr Chiu Shin Kong, who is a 51-year-old private tutor and a newcomer to politics. His four member line-up includes 62-year-old businessman Mohamad Hamim Aliyas, 53-year-old nurse Sarina Abu Hassan, and Ms Vigneswari V Ramachandran, who is a 42-year-old preschool educator.

On nomination day, Mrs Teo’s team arrived at the nomination centre in Kong Hwa School on Wednesday (Apr 23) at around 10am.

Addressing a cheering crowd after her team’s slate was confirmed, Mrs Teo, who served as Jalan Besar GRC’s anchor minister since the last election, said: “The PAP team have served you and worked hard all these years.

“We thank you for the opportunity and support. We now have a strong track record, and we have presented our plans to make our town your best home. You know that you can trust us to be honest and hardworking,” said Mrs Teo.

Mr Loh takes the spot of Senior Minister of State for Defence Heng Chee How, the MP for Whampoa division since 2001.

Speaking to the crowd after the PAP team, Ms Sarina from PAR said: “Thank you residents of Jalan Besar. The PAR has been engaging you, but now we want to work and serve you and walk with you into the parliament for Jalan Besar GRC”.

Asked for her team’s views on the PAP Jalan Besar line-up during an interview with the media, Ms Vigneswari said: "We dare to stand out and raise some issues that some other parties don't want to raise, like immigration and job security for Singaporeans."

She added that the PAP team is seasoned and her team respects that, but “we want policy changes and that is to benefit the citizens of Singapore".

Earlier, both the National Solidarity Party (NSP) and the People’s Alliance for Reform had expressed interest in contesting the constituency, setting the stage for a potential three-cornered fight . 

However, the NSP later announced its decision to pull out, “in line with our long-standing commitment to responsible engagement and meaningful opposition cooperation". 

The PAR is a three-party alliance comprising the Peoples Voice (PV), the Reform Party (RP) and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

At the last General Election in 2020, the PAP team secured 65.36 per cent of the vote, defeating a PV team. The PV slate then comprised Mr Lim Tean, Mr Leong Sze Hian, Mr Nor Azlan Sulaiman and Dr Michael Fang.

The GRC remains unchanged in the latest electoral boundary review and has 106,102 voters.