JOHOR BAHRU: The Malaysian Indian Muslim Congress (KIMMA) will reach out to about 68,000 voters in Johor through its Jalinan Rakyat (JR) machinery to prepare for the upcoming Johor State Election.

UMNO secretary-general Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan said with 216 branches in the state, KIMMA made the right move by making various early plans to reach out to voters among their members in the state.

"KIMMA launched its retreat programme and election machinery on Sunday. I was told that a total of 100 JR members would undergo training to reach out to Indian Muslim voters in Johor throughout the retreat," he told reporters in a media conference here today.

He said out of 68,000 Indian Muslim voters in Johor, 48,326 of them are KIMMA members.

Ahmad, who is also Pontian Member of Parliament, when asked whether KIMMA would be allocated a seat in the state election, said the matter has not been discussed and would be finalised by UMNO Supreme Council.

Also present were KIMMA president Datuk Seri Syed Ibrahim Kader, its secretary-general Hussain Jamal and state KIMMA chairman Datuk Anwar Sadat.

Meanwhile, Syed Ibrahim said its JR members had received early exposure and training during the Melaka State Election in November last year, adding that he hoped they could reach out to more Indian Muslim voters during the Johor State Election.

-- BERNAMA