Close fight to decide if WP keeps GRC or PAP wins it

With battle lines redrawn and significant changes to many constituencies, which will be the ones under the spotlight in GE2025? The Straits Times dives into the issues and concerns on the ground in Sengkang GRC.

- Kok Yufeng and Ang Qing

It has been five years since the opposition Workers' Party eked out a historic win in Sengkang GRC, and another close fight is likely as the PAP tries to win it at the upcoming polls.

While the north-eastern battleground has been spared changes in the latest redrawing of the electoral map, there is uncertainty in the air.

Residents say the rising cost of living, a turbulent geopolitical environment, and the credibility and credentials of the candidates being fielded are among the factors that could sway loyalties at the polls, which are widely expected to be called by mid-year.

What is clear is that the WP and the People's Action Party will need to run strong campaigns during the hustings to shore up their chances of securing the support of residents living in the neighbourhoods of Anchorvale, Rivervale, Buangkok and Compassvale.

Logistics manager Lillian Lim, 61, who lives in Compassvale and voted for the WP in 2020, said her decision on Polling Day will depend on who runs in the constituency and what the candidates say during the campaign.

"Any party can get complacent, so we need to keep them on their toes," she added.

Homemaker Fionn Cheong, 53, said she will need to evaluate the quality of each party's candidates before making her choice.

"If they are lousy, I don't think I would vote for them," said the long-time Rivervale resident, who previously voted for the ruling PAP.

The WP did not respond to requests to speak to The Straits Times for this report.

HOW THE BATTLE WILL SHAPE UP Political observers said the four-member Sengkang GRC, which was created in 2020, will be hotly contested at the next election, given the WP's slim margin of victory at the last polls.

A fresh-faced team comprising lawyer He Ting Ru, financial analyst Louis Chua, economics professor Jamus Lim and social enterprise founder Raeesah Khan won Sengkang with 52.12 per cent of the vote at the 2020 election.