KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 23 — MIC hopes to be given more than nine parliamentary seats to contest in the 15th general election (GE15) based on the increased support for the party from the Indian community, said its Deputy President Datuk Seri M. Saravanan.

He said the matter has been conveyed to the Barisan Nasional (BN) top leadership for consideration but added that chairman Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was not pressured to fulfil the request.

"If we were to compare, GE14, the by-elections and state elections there was a tremendous change in terms of support from the Indian community. From 10 per cent in GE14 it rose to almost 37 per cent during the Cameron Highlands by-election and later the state elections and I am confident this will increase in GE15,” he told the media when met after checking on Deepavali preparations at Brickfields here tonight.

Saravanan said he was prepared to defend the Tapah parliamentary seat which he has won for the past three terms.

Earlier, MIC president Tan Sri SA Vigneswaran was reported to have said that the party would contest in all its traditional seats in GE15, namely nine parliamentary seats and 18 state seats. — Bernama