It is official! The seat negotiations between Parti Keadilan Rakyat (Keadilan) and DAP have failed and both parties are expected to lock horns in more than 20 constituencies nationwide.

The bulk of the disputed seats is concentrated in Penang and Perak, where both parties stand a good chance of winning in the racially-mixed constituencies.

The former allies are also expected to clash in a number of seats scattered across Kedah, Selangor, Johor and Sabah.

The latest tally of disputed seats differed greatly from DAP secretary-general Kerk Kim Hock's statement yesterday that negotiations had failed for five or six seats only.

While the top leaders from both parties declared that the negotiations have failed, sources claimed that last minute talks are still on-going between state-level leaders in an effort to resolve their differences before nomination day tomorrow.

The new regulation by the Election Commission allowing for withdrawal of candidates within three days of nomination may also see less number of three-cornered seats in the days to come.

Penang, Perak seats

In Penang, three-cornered fights will take place in at least one parliamentary constituency - Batu Kawan - and seven state seats - Padang Lalang, Bukit Tambun, Padang Kota, Datok Keramat, Sungai Pinang, Seri Delima and Air Itam. .

It is still uncertain whether Keadilan will field a candidate to stand in another new parliamentary seat Bukit Gelugor where DAP deputy chairperson Karpal Singh has already staked claim.

Possible Keadilan candidates for this seat are veteran politician and ex-DAP MP Gooi Hock Seng as well as newcomer Cheah Kah Peng, who is presently slated for the Batu Uban state seat.

From the candidate lists released by both parties yesterday, tough fights can also be expected in Perak, where DAP and Keadilan may clash in two parliamentary and four state constituencies.

Two interesting contests here will be for the Sungai Siput and Ipoh Timor parliamentary seats where two veteran politicians will be fielded.

In Sungai Siput, Barisan Nasional's (BN) MIC incumbent S Samy Vellu will take on Dr D Jeyakumar of the yet-to-be-registered Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) (who will be contesting under a Keadilan ticket) and P Ponmugam, a former MIC member planing to contest under the DAP's banner.

In Ipoh Timor, DAP national chairperson Lim Kit Siang will attempt to wrest away the seat from BN's MCA incumbent Thong Fah Chong and Keadilan's Dr Lim Boon Chye.

For the state seats in Perak, Keadilan and DAP will do battle over three BN-held seats - Jalong, Tebing Tinggi and Bercham. The two parties will also lock horns for the new seat of Jelapang.

DAP is also attempting to break the Barisan Alternatif (BA) monopoly in Kedah, by fielding candidates for the Gurun and Bukit Selambau state seats.

If the party wins the two seats, it could potentially be the decisive voice in a state assembly split between BN and BA, namely PAS.

Down south in Johor, Keadilan and DAP will contest for the new Johor Jaya seat while in East Malaysia, both parties will be vying for four seats in Sabah - Kota Kinabalu and Penampang (parliamentary seats), Tanjong Aru and Kapayan (state seats).

Similar clashes are expected in Selangor but DAP has yet to release the list of its candidates for the state.

Wild card entrants

Meanwhile, potential toss-ups are likely in the Bukit Bintang constituency in Kuala Lumpur and Pasir Mas parliamentary seat in Kelantan involving wild card entrants.

In Bukit Bintang, Malaysian Democratic Party (MDP) secretary-general Wee Choo Keong (photo left) is making his third bid for the seat in a fight which could upset DAP incumbent Fong Kui Lun and land the seat on the lap of MCA newcomer Tan Chew Mooi.

Wee, a former DAP MP in the constituency, founded MDP in 1999 after an acrimonious row with DAP chairperson Lim Kit Siang.

Although he was disqualified in 1995 halfway through his term as MP, and barred from contesting in 1999 because of a contempt of court conviction, Wee claimed that he still has the support of locals in the area.

His candidacy could well lead to a disastrous drop in much needed votes by DAP's Fong who won the seat in 1999 with only a majority of 1,134 votes.

Adding more drama and colour to the Bukit Bintang feud is motivational author Billi Lim Peng Soon, who will be contesting as an independent. This will be his second attempt after garnering 198 votes in 1999.

The battle for the Pasir Mas seat in Kelantan may also be livened up by the entrance of Umno's outspoken local leader Ibrahim Ali (photo right) as an independent candidate.

Ibrahim, who has been dropped from the BN line-up, has been replaced by new face Abdul Rahim Abdul Rahman as challenger to PAS incumbent Ismail Noh.

In the previous election, Ibrahim suffered a crushing defeat with the PAS leader garnering a 8,500 vote majority.

Although he has been tightlipped about this, Ibrahim has been rumoured for months now to have been weighing alternative options including, contesting under the PAS banner.

Either way, his participation would severely cut short Umno's chances of breaking PAS' hold on the seat.