KUALA LUMPUR, June 22 — Datuk Seri M. Saravanan retained the post of MIC deputy president for the 2024-2027 term, being returned unopposed at the party elections.

MIC president Tan Sri SA Vigneswaran announced the results after Saravanan remained the sole nominee for the post when the nominations closed at 1pm today.

"As he has the support of the majority from our party, Datuk Seri M. Saravanan is once again the deputy president of MIC,” he told the media at the MIC headquarters, here, today.

The nominations today involved the party’s highest posts, including deputy president, three vice-presidents and 21 members of the party’s Central Working Committee (CWC), which were being held from 10.30am to 1pm. In March, Vigneswaran was re-elected, unopposed, as the MIC president for the 2024-2027 term.

The three vice-president posts also witness fierce competition among four candidates. Incumbents Datuk T. Mohan, Datuk T. Murugiah, and Datuk M. Asojan are being challenged by MIC Education Committee chairman Datuk Dr R. Nelson.

Meanwhile, 45 candidates will be vying for the 21 CWC posts in the party elections which will be held on July 6.

Saravanan, when met by reporters, said that the next three years are crucial for the party to increase its relevance within the Indian community.

"The next three years are very important, with the party president’s efforts to strengthen MIC as a populist party, economic empowerment, and empowering MIC in economics and politics.

"I believe that, in the next three years, MIC will play an important role. Today, MIC is indeed a party that is closer to the Indian community through education. The next three years are crucial to make this party more relevant to the Indian community,” he said.

He added that the support from the younger generation was also seen as very encouraging in the party elections, compared with when MIC held a position in the government.

"If we look at the party elections, even though MIC does not hold any government positions, the elections at the division level, as well as at women and youth levels, showed involvement of more young men and women. MIC will hold programmes to attract more participation of these groups,” he said. — Bernama