GE2025: Four constituencies where even PAP ministers will face a tough fight

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With the General Election just a few days away, it’s clear that different constituencies present a different challenge for incumbents from the PAP, WP and PSP.

The ruling party has the advantage of being able to field cabinet ministers, who run the country and are visible in the media on a regular basis.

But it would be a mistake to think that it means that their fight for re-election is going to be easy—at least not in all cases.

Here are four constituencies where heavyweight PAP ministers will face a stiff challenge from the opposition:

West Coast-Jurong West GRC

Abandoned by his senior colleague, who ended up in jail for accepting expensive gifts from billionaire Ong Beng Seng in breach of the law, the PAP anchor minister in this constituency is Desmond Lee.

As I wrote in a previous article, he must be one of the more unlucky candidates, as he is defending the most narrowly contested constituency in 2020, while being let down by S Iswaran.

At just 48, Lee likely has a long political career ahead, but this campaign won’t be easy. He’s up against Progress Singapore Party’s Tan Cheng Bock, who is contesting in his Western stronghold once again.

The constituency boundaries have shifted slightly in PAP’s favour, but the fallout from the Iswaran saga could dent voter confidence, making this one of the most high-stakes battles of GE2025.

East Coast GRC

This was another closely contested constituency in 2020, albeit modified this time after absorbing Joo Chiat from Marine Parade.

The new PAP anchor minister for this constituency is Edwin Tong, who heads the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports, and is also the Second Minister for Law.

Workers’ Party put up a surprisingly good fight here five years ago, scoring 46.6% against a team helmed by Heng Swee Keat himself.

And while DPM Heng is retiring, WP has also had to let go of Nicole Seah (who led the team last time) due to the extramarital affair with Leon Perera, which rocked the party in the last term.

However, PAP shouldn’t expect an easy contest, as Minister Tong will face Yee Jenn Jong, a WP veteran who once lost the Joo Chiat SMC by just 388 votes (in 2011) and served as a Workers’ Party NCMP until 2015.

Considering past trends of gradually narrowing gaps, the result could be very close this year—perhaps even closer than in 2020.

Punggol GRC

This is the constituency you would probably want to devote the most attention to this year, after the Workers’ Party decided to field its star candidate for this election, senior counsel Harpreet Singh, here.

Given the proximity to Sengkang, which WP won last time, the party will be hoping to upset the PAP, which deployed DPM and Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong to anchor the team at the last minute, replacing retiring Teo Chee Hean.

If that proves to be insufficient, losing both DPM Gan and hugely popular MP and Senior Minister of State, Sun Xueling, could be one of the most painful blows the PAP could suffer this election.

On the other hand, if it wins, it would be a sorely disappointing defeat for WP, which has placed much hope in Harpreet Singh.

It will be the proving ground for the electoral strategies of both parties.

Tampines GRC

Finally, a tactical move by the Workers’ Party: sending Faisal Manap, the Vice-Chairman of the Workers’ Party and an MP speaking up often on Malay Muslim affairs, to lead a team against the PAP’s Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs, Masagos Zulkifli, who has anchored the area for the ruling party for nearly 20 years now.

Given the higher proportion of Malay population in the area (at 23.6%, as reported by The Straits Times), hot-button issues—including the war in Gaza and Singapore’s stance on it—may dominate the electoral discourse here.

With controversies swirling about the topics of race and religion being used in this election, the outcome is difficult to predict.

What works in PAP’s favour is the fact that the constituency is up for a four-cornered fight, with People’s Power Party and National Solidarity Party contesting it as well, which is likely to lead to some dilution of the opposition vote.

WP is probably risking more than the PAP, given that it sent one of its highest-ranking members out of the safety of Aljunied GRC, and if he fails, it would likely put him out of politics for at least five years, if not permanently.

Notable mention: Chua Chu Kang

While nobody expects CCK to be a particularly close race, the last-minute exchange of ministers, with Tan See Leng being moved from Marine Parade-Braddell Heights after it became clear it was a walkover, and DPM Gan moving to Punggol, may sour some voters slightly.

And the PAP is up against PSP here, which was a new brand in Singapore politics five years ago, but has since managed to establish itself, chiefly through the outspoken NCMP, Leong Mun Wai.

While it doesn’t field any particularly strong names here—reserving them for the close fight in the West Coast—the party name alone could attract more voters this time than in 2020.

High risk, high reward

As you can see, not even big names with impressive careers are immune to outside challenges. That said, the opposition parties face more risks this year than they usually do.

While the PAP is risking the careers of a few of its ministers, PSP is keeping its eggs in one basket on the West Coast, keeping Tan Cheng Bock, Leong Mun Wai, and Hazel Poa on the same team, rather than trying to leverage their popularity to challenge the ruling party elsewhere.

Together, they may attract more voters, but if they fail, they will all fail together and may no longer retain their NCMP positions if the race is not as tight as in 2020.

WP, on the other hand, has put its Vice-Chairman’s career on the line in Tampines, while making a last-minute gamble with Harpreet Singh—whom it invested so much time and effort in—moving him from Marine Parade to Punggol GRC only to face a strong PAP response just minutes later.

Whatever the outcome, some big names from either side may be forced to leave politics when the votes are counted on May 4.

Check out our GE2025 microsite for the latest election-related news, find out which constituency you belong to, and who’s running where on the election battleground here.

Featured Image Credit: ELD/ Graphic designed by Vulcan Post