KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 4 — In an act of defiance, the Batu MCA branch today closed its election operations centre in an act of boycott after the seat was instead given to its coalition partner, MIC.

In a video that has gone viral, several MCA members could be seen tearing down a banner in front of their operations centre, signalling their unwillingness to work with the party’s coalition partner within Barisan Nasional (BN).

MIC’s A. Kohilan Pillay was previously announced as the BN candidate for Batu during a glittering ceremony at the World Trade Centre.

According to Sin Chew Daily, Datuk Seri Yew Teong Look, who was supposed to contest the seat on behalf of MCA, reportedly said the shutting down of the party’s operations centre was to express their dissatisfaction at the turn of events.

He went so far as to say MCA will not be appearing together with other BN component parties on Nomination Day.

The conflicting announcement for BN’s Batu candidacy came after MCA president Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong reportedly asserted that the BN candidate for Batu would be from the Chinese component in exchange for the Padang Serai seat in Perak that would go to MIC.

The contest for Batu in the national capital is gearing up to be among the hottest parliamentary seats in the November 19 vote.

Pakatan Harapan has announced that the incumbent Batu MP Prabakaran Parameswaran will defend the seat.

Lawyer and activist Siti Kasim, social media influencer Nur Fathiah Syazwana Shaharuddin, and Azhar Yahya from Perikatan Nasional are among those in the running for the seat too