MALACCA POLLS | When PKR information chief Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin sought to contest the Paya Rumput state seat in the Malacca polls, he was expecting to take on Bersatu vice president Mohd Rafiq Naizamohideen, who is also the state Bersatu chief.

Shamsul is no stranger to big electoral fights, having defeated outgoing Malacca chief minister Ali Rustam in the 2013 general election in the parliamentary seat of Hang Tuah Jaya, then known as Bukit Katil, thwarting the Umno leader's federal ambitions.

He defeated Ali a second time in...