EBRC report features big changes to GRCs formerly represented by Tharman, Iswaran and Tan Chuan-Jin

SINGAPORE: The massive changes that have been made to Singapore’s electoral map, as outlined in the newly released report by the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee (EBRC), have sparked debate online with some Singaporeans online highlighting how the wards held by former Ministers have been significantly altered.

One of the most notable changes is the dissolution of Jurong GRC, a stronghold of former Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam. The ward, held by Mr Tharman from 2001 until his resignation in 2023 to run for President, has been split into four separate constituencies.

The ward held by another heavyweight Minister who vacated his parliamentary seat in 2023, S Iswaran, has also been significantly redrawn. The ex-ruling party politician, who left politics under the cloud of a scandal, had represented West Coast GRC since 1997.

West Coast GRC has been renamed West Coast-Jurong West GRC, absorbing parts of Jurong GRC while ceding HarbourFront and Sentosa to Radin Mas SMC, and transferring Dover and Telok Blangah to Tanjong Pagar GRC.

The third major ruling party politician who vacated his seat in 2023 was Tan Chuan-Jin. While Marine Parade GRC, which he was part of from 2011 to 2023, remains on the map, the constituency’s Joo Chiat ward, including Telok Kurau and Opera Estate, has been moved to East Coast GRC.

Only five Group Representation Constituencies (GRCs) and four Single Member Constituencies (SMCs) will remain unchanged from the 2020 General Election, according to the EBRC report which cited uneven population change as the reason behind its decisions.

The total number of electoral divisions has increased from 31 to 33, with 18 GRCs and 15 SMCs, with five new GRCs and six new SMCs being created. With these changes, the next Parliament will see an increase in elected Members of Parliament (MPs) from 93 to 97.

The newly created GRCs are Pasir Ris-Changi, Punggol, Jurong East-Bukit Batok, Marine Parade-Braddell Heights, and West Coast-Jurong West. The six new SMCs are Bukit Gombak, Jalan Kayu, Jurong Central, Queenstown, Sembawang West, and Tampines Changkat. Five former SMCs—Yuhua, Bukit Batok, Hong Kah North, MacPherson, and Punggol West—have been erased from the electoral map and have been absorbed into GRCs.

As Singapore prepares for its next General Election, the sweeping changes to the electoral map are likely to remain a focal point of political discussions in the coming months.