Bukit Batok by-election, 2016

A by-election at the Bukit Batok Single Member Constituency is proposed by the Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on 12 March 2016 after the sudden resignation of incumbent Member of Parliament David Ong Kim Huat.

This may be the 18th by-election since the first election.

Resignation of David Ong as Member of Parliament
David Ong's sudden resignation on 12 March 2016 from politics as an incumbent People's Action Party Member of Parliament triggered the Bukit Batok by-election which may take place within the same year. The role at Bukit Batok SMC is tentatively taken of by incumbent Member of Parliament of Jurong Group Representation Constituency Desmond Lee till the by-election date is confirmed by the President of Singapore. Ang Wei Neng takes over as Jurong-Clementi Town Council chairman.

The explanation offered by the Singapore media is that David Ong has been having an extra-marital affair with a 41 year-old woman Wendy Lim, who is also a member and grassroots volunteer of the People's Action Party. Ong's alleged affair went on over nearly six months before it went public after the husband of Wendy Lim lodged a complaint about it.

Wendy Lim left the People's Action Party as of 15 March 2016 while also going on leave with her employer Pacific Integrated Logistics.

David is the third MP in five years to resign from his parliamentary seat and be expelled from his political party because of an extra-martial affair after the likes of Michael Palmer of PAP and Yaw Shin Leong of the opposition Workers' Party of Singapore.

Candidates
Opposition candidates interested to contest in this by-election include:
 * Chee Soon Juan of Singapore Democratic Party

The Workers' Party, the biggest opposition party in Singapore, announced that they would not be contesting in the upcoming by-election. The Singaporeans First party also ruled out the running for the seat, citing the SDP's prior contest there. Samir Salim Neji, an independent candidate who contested in the 2015 general elections, also announced he would not contest, after much consideration. Other parties not contesting include the Democratic Progressive Party, People's Power Party and the Singapore Democratic Alliance.

On 20 March 2016, the Singapore Democratic Party announced that they would field Dr Chee Soon Juan, secretary-general of the party as the candidate to contest in this by-election. The following day, the People’s Action Party named K. Muralidharan Pillai, the head of commercial litigation at Rajah and Tann and the former PAP branch secretary there who contested the Aljunied GRC in the general elections, as its candidate for the by-election, after considering a few "strong candidates".

In addition, Mok Huiying will be shifting to Bukit Batok Block 122, in a bid to replace Ruidi Candy there (who is staying in Bukit Batok Block 114).