KOTA KINABALU, Nov. 18 -- Incumbent Kepayan assemblywoman Jannie Lasimbang is facing her toughest electoral challenge yet as she defends the seat for a third term amid a crowded 13-way contest and signs of shifting urban sentiment.

The DAP two-term assemblyman - who previously won with comfortable majorities exceeding 70 per cent - said this election has been markedly more hostile, beginning with an unexpectedly large field of contenders.

"I expected maybe a seven-cornered fight, but 13 was surprising," she said, attributing it to a statewide trend that has produced a record 596 candidates.

Lasimbang said the campaign atmosphere turned tense early when she encountered unusually aggressive voters during a walkabout in the Kepayan Rumah ...