Bukit Panjang SMC shows that swing voters exist and good MPs get more votes
Politics
Bukit Panjang SMC in this GE is basically a rematch of what happened in 2020. We have the same candidates, Liang Eng Hwa vs Paul Tambyah, same boundaries, and no new housing.
In 2020, LEH and PT are both new to the SMC and basically blank canvases. People vote based on what they know about the party and what they hear about the candidates. In the end, it was a 54/46 split in favour of PAP.
In 2025, PT is basically still the same guy that he was while LEH is also the same guy but with 5 years as MP to prove himself. I don't want to shill what he has done (you can google if you want to know) but he has been active on the ground and in parliament. He has shown himself to be a good MP in many people's eyes which might be why he got an 8% swing in votes.
If say hypothetically PAP fielded a new/unlikeable candidate (eg. Marshall Lim) against PT, there's a good chance the seat would go to SDP.
TLDR: The quality of PAP candidates matter too, good ones get rewarded with votes while new or rubbish candidates risk losing their seat.