The boundary changes were accepted by the Singapore government.
Janil Puthucheary, a senior minister of state and a PAP cadre, felt the extensive changes were "appropriate" and reflected the country's population growth. On the other hand, the opposition parties accused ELD officials of
gerrymandering. The
Workers' Party (WP) acknowledged the "significant changes" in areas where it has been active in recent years but refrained from direct criticism. The party stated that it would announce where it planned to contest "in due course". WP chief and
Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh called it "one of the most radical redrawing of boundaries Singapore has seen in recent memory". While the
Progress Singapore Party (PSP) was "heartened that the EBRC has somewhat disclosed more of the reasoning behind its decisions, contrary to its previous report in 2020", the party felt that "the EBRC could have accounted for population shifts without making drastic changes to existing major electoral boundaries". The
Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) expressed "disappointment with the disappearance of Yuhua and Bukit Batok SMCs" – the electoral districts where the SDP planned to contest – and claimed the process of redrawing boundaries "lacked transparency". The
People's Power Party (PPP) also claimed that the ERBC report was "skewed to protect [the PAP's] electoral interests", but planned to contest in the new Jalan Kayu and Tampines Changkat SMCs alongside Ang Mo Kio, Nee Soon, and Tampines GRCs.
Lim Tean, leader of the
People's Alliance for Reform (PAR), criticised "wanton redrawing of the electoral boundaries" and protested against the incorporation of Mountbatten SMC and parts of Potong Pasir SMC into Marine Parade–Braddell Heights. Its component party,
Peoples Voice (PV), was active in these districts. The
Singapore Democratic Alliance planned to contest in Pasir Ris–Changi GRC, and was open to discussions with WP regarding the boundary changes for Punggol GRC
. Spencer Ng, the secretary general of the
National Solidarity Party (NSP), said that the party was "deeply disappointed and perplexed" by the electoral boundary changes. The NSP planned to contest in Sembawang West and Tampines Changkat, and in the GRCs of Jalan Besar, Marine Parade–Braddell Heights, Marsiling–Yew Tee, Sembawang, and Tampines.
Commentary Political observers interviewed by
Channel NewsAsia (CNA) said that the opposition parties in the west should reassess their strategies due to the significant boundary changes. They anticipated that the opposition might find it challenging to build support in these redrawn constituencies. Bilveer Singh, an associate professor of political science from the
National University of Singapore (NUS), noted that the establishment of some SMCs from traditional PAP strongholds might benefit the ruling party unless faced against a major opposition party.
Eugene Tan, an associate professor of law from the
Singapore Management University, said that while the smaller opposition parties might find SMCs easier to contest, multi-cornered fights could instead work against them. Chong Ja Ian from NUS also concurred that these new SMCs and some smaller GRCs might see more competition. Chong believed that the introduction of smaller SMCs and GRCs limits any political losses for the PAP. Commentators from
The Straits Times noted that the boundary changes could strengthen support for the ruling party in the newly formed GRCs in the west. This was because West Coast GRC and Bukit Batok SMC – both constituencies where opposition parties made significant gains in the last election – had been redrawn. Mustafa Izzuddin, a senior international affairs analyst at Solaris Strategies Singapore, felt that the PSP's chances of success in West Coast–Jurong West GRC have been "arguably reduced". Nevertheless, Gillian Koh, an
Institute of Policy Studies senior research fellow, maintained that the EBRC's work was conducted "in a politically neutral fashion". Commentators expected a close fight in West Coast–Jurong West GRC, noting that the PAP's performance in the west also depended on the candidates it fielded. Analysts on
The Straits Times suggested that East Coast GRC could be highly competitive. The GRC incorporated the upper middle-class, better-educated voters from
Joo Chiat, who might prioritise political pluralism and parliamentary checks and balances. Observers like Eugene Tan and
Inderjit Singh noted that WP's candidate selection for East Coast could be a decisive factor, particularly if they fielded Pritam Singh, the Leader of the Opposition. On the other hand, analysts believed the PAP would have a stronger advantage in the newly renamed Marine Parade–Braddell Heights GRC, particularly with the inclusion of
MacPherson SMC, a PAP stronghold. However, Teo Kay Key noted that MacPherson's 27,000 voters formed only a fraction of the GRC's 131,000 voters. The PAP's performance would also depend on how Manpower Minister
Tan See Leng led the party's campaign in the district. == See also ==