Ng Chee Meng beats Andre Low in fierce contest

Jalan Kayu SMC: PAP 51.47%, WP 48.53%

- Theresa Tan Senior Correspondent Sue-Ann Tan Correspondent and Kimberly Kwek

Labour chief Ng Chee Meng completed his political comeback by winning the Jalan Kayu single seat with 51.47 per cent of the vote, beating WP fresh face Andre Low in a fierce contest.

Mr Ng, 56, standing under the PAP banner, faced off against Mr Low, a tech professional who declared himself the underdog in the contest.

Mr Low, 33, who is contesting his first election, is likely to enter Parliament as a Non-Constituency MP as he is among the losing opposition candidates with the highest percentage of votes.

Mr Ng, speaking to reporters in Yio Chu Kang Stadium after the election result was declared, said: "I'm just happy that we prevailed.

"I want to hit the ground running so that I can see more residents in Jalan Kayu. It's time for us to push together to make Jalan Kayu a more inclusive, kinder and stronger community."

When asked if the result met his expectations, he said: "Well, it's a good result. I'm grateful for the results."

Jalan Kayu, which was carved out of Ang Mo Kio GRC, was one of the fiercest battlegrounds in the run-up to the polls.

Mr Low fired the first salvo against the PAP at his maiden rally on April 24 by hitting out at the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) for supporting the bid by German insurer Allianz to acquire a majority stake in Income Insurance.

The deal, worth $2.2 billion, was ultimately stopped by the Government.

On April 27, Mr Ng said the deal was proposed in good faith and the labour movement felt it was a "reasonable deal".

Mr Ng, who has been NTUC secretary-general since 2018, said Income's market share fell from 20 per cent to 6 per cent in the past decade, and the proposed deal could strengthen Income and protect policyholder interests.

The deal came under intense public scrutiny after questions were raised about Income's ability to continue its social mission after the proposed sale.