# 1972 Singaporean general election

General elections were held in Singapore on 2 September 1972. The result was a fourth victory for the People's Action Party, which won all 65 seats, the second of four consecutive elections in which they repeated the feat. Voter turnout was 93.5% in the 57 constituencies (which represented 812,926 voters) that were contested, with PAP candidates elected unopposed in the other eight, which represents 95,456 voters.

## Electoral system

The 65 members of Parliament were elected in 65 single-member constituencies, an increase from 58 in the 1968 elections. Like the previous elections, boundaries and constituencies were carved due to development or population; the newly added constituencies were:
| Constituency | Changes |
| New Constituencies ||
| Boon Teck Kim Keat Kuo Chuan | Carved from Toa Payoh |
| Bukit Batok | Carved from Bukit Panjang, Bukit Timah and Choa Chu Kang |
| Henderson | Carved from Tiong Bahru |
| Kim Seng | Carved from Bukit Ho Swee and Delta |
| Leng Kee | Carved from Bukit Merah |

## Timeline

| Date | Event |
| 16 August | Dissolution of 2nd Parliament |
| 23 August | Nomination Day |
| 2 September | Polling Day |
| 12 October | Opening of 3rd Parliament |

## Campaign

Unlike the previous elections in 1968, which saw the PAP returning to power after nomination day due to low number of contests (seven out of 58 seats), this election saw contests in all but eight seats. Barisan Sosialis renounced its boycott strategy and attempted to make a comeback, while the Workers' Party saw its rejuvenation with the introduction of its new secretary-general, also lawyer and former district judge, J. B. Jeyaretnam (who would later become the inaugural opposition Member of Parliament in 1981); former leader and ex-Chief Minister David Marshall contemplated standing as an independent, but ultimately did not run due to a stingray wound. PAP candidate and architect Ong Teng Cheong, who made his debut in the election, would later serve as a Deputy Prime Minister and also the first-elected (and fifth) President of Singapore.
Describing the alternative opposition parties as having lost their credibility with swerving political manoeuvres, coupled with Singapore's strong economic progress and successful housing development, the PAP declared that Singaporeans no longer saw need for political diversity, claiming that this led to squabbling that would impede its effective governance.

## Results

Despite expectations that the PAP would not coast to victory and Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew even anticipating that the PAP winning around 45 seats would be a convincing victory, the PAP still managed to capture every seat in Parliament for the second time.
| | People's Action Party | 524,892 | 70.43 | –16.29 | 65 | +7 |
| | Workers' Party | 90,885 | 12.20 | +8.18 | 0 | 0 |
| | United National Front | 55,001 | 7.38 | New | 0 | New |
| | Barisan Sosialis | 34,483 | 4.63 | New | 0 | New |
| | People's Front | 22,462 | 3.01 | New | 0 | New |
| | Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Melayu Singapura | 10,054 | 1.35 | New | 0 | New |
| | Independents | 7,462 | 1.00 | –8.27 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | Total | 745,239 | 100.00 | – | 65 | +7 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | 745,239 | 98.00 | | | |
| Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | 15,229 | 2.00 | | | |
| Total votes | Total votes | 760,468 | 100.00 | | | |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 908,382 | 93.55 | | | |
| Source: Nohlen et al., Singapore Elections |||||||

### By constituency

| Constituency | Electorate | Party | Candidates | Votes | % |
| Alexandra | 24,499 | People's Action Party | Wong Lin Ken | 17,965 | 77.52 |
| Alexandra | 24,499 | Workers' Party | Wong Kui Yu | 3,782 | 16.32 |
| Alexandra | 24,499 | United National Front | S.A. Hamid | 1,427 | 6.16 |
| Aljunied | 19,278 | People's Action Party | Chin Harn Tong | 12,861 | 71.51 |
| Aljunied | 19,278 | Workers' Party | Lim Kang Chew | 4,360 | 24.25 |
| Aljunied | 19,278 | United National Front | Amir Ali bin Mohamed | 762 | 4.24 |
| Anson | 8,171 | People's Action Party | Perumal Govindaswamy | 5,027 | 74.34 |
| Anson | 8,171 | Workers' Party | Tay Kim Oh | 1,291 | 19.09 |
| Anson | 8,171 | United National Front | Paul C. Kunjuraman | 444 | 6.57 |
| Boon Teck | 15,958 | People's Action Party | Phey Yew Kok | 9,947 | 66.75 |
| Boon Teck | 15,958 | People's Front | Lim Thiam Hock | 4,954 | 33.25 |
| Bras Basah | 8,323 | People's Action Party | Ho See Beng | Uncontested | Uncontested |
| Bukit Batok | 14,563 | People's Action Party | Chai Chong Yii | 9,765 | 73.78 |
| Bukit Batok | 14,563 | United National Front | Rengaswamy Vetrivelu | 3,471 | 26.22 |
| Bukit Ho Swee | 12,212 | People's Action Party | Seah Mui Kok | 7,862 | 68.77 |
| Bukit Ho Swee | 12,212 | Barisan Sosialis | Chin Tian Choo | 2,209 | 19.32 |
| Bukit Ho Swee | 12,212 | Workers' Party | Wee Kia Eng | 1,361 | 11.91 |
| Bukit Merah | 13,960 | People's Action Party | Lim Guan Hoo | 9,044 | 69.33 |
| Bukit Merah | 13,960 | Workers' Party | Kho Jiak Hiong | 2,042 | 15.65 |
| Bukit Merah | 13,960 | Barisan Sosialis | Said bin Jali | 1,958 | 15.02 |
| Bukit Panjang | 15,461 | People's Action Party | Lee Yiok Seng | 9,527 | 67.65 |
| Bukit Panjang | 15,461 | Workers' Party | Tang Song Khiang | 3,496 | 24.82 |
| Bukit Panjang | 15,461 | United National Front | Leyu Tan Jib | 1,060 | 7.53 |
| Bukit Timah | 15,476 | People's Action Party | Chor Yeok Eng | 9,475 | 66.78 |
| Bukit Timah | 15,476 | Barisan Sosialis | Krishnan K. Nair | 4,714 | 33.22 |
| Cairnhill | 11,952 | People's Action Party | Lim Kim San | 8,458 | 80.92 |
| Cairnhill | 11,952 | United National Front | Paul Elisha | 1,994 | 19.08 |
| Changi | 18,297 | People's Action Party | Sim Boon Woo | 10,512 | 62.42 |
| Changi | 18,297 | Workers' Party | Normah binte Yahya | 4,917 | 29.20 |
| Changi | 18,297 | United National Front | Omar bin Ninggal | 1,412 | 8.38 |
| Chua Chu Kang | 15,669 | People's Action Party | Tang See Chim | 9,002 | 62.36 |
| Chua Chu Kang | 15,669 | Barisan Sosialis | Ng Ah Chue | 5,434 | 37.64 |
| Crawford | 9,285 | People's Action Party | Ang Kok Peng | 6,040 | 72.60 |
| Crawford | 9,285 | Workers' Party | Wu Kher | 1,565 | 18.81 |
| Crawford | 9,285 | United National Front | N. M. Abdul Wahid | 714 | 8.59 |
| Delta | 13,781 | People's Action Party | Yeo Choo Kok | 9,149 | 70.72 |
| Delta | 13,781 | Workers' Party | Wong Hong Toy | 2,186 | 16.90 |
| Delta | 13,781 | Barisan Sosialis | Abdul Rahim bin Abdul Rahman | 1,602 | 12.38 |
| Farrer Park | 12,707 | People's Action Party | Lee Chiaw Meng | 8,521 | 73.82 |
| Farrer Park | 12,707 | Workers' Party | J. B. Jeyaretnam | 2,668 | 23.11 |
| Farrer Park | 12,707 | United National Front | S. A. Latiff | 354 | 3.07 |
| Geylang East | 16,580 | People's Action Party | Ho Cheng Choon | 9,692 | 64.24 |
| Geylang East | 16,580 | Workers' Party | Kum Teng Hock | 4,951 | 32.81 |
| Geylang East | 16,580 | United National Front | Mohamed Elias bin Ibrahim | 445 | 2.95 |
| Geylang Serai | 13,837 | People's Action Party | Rahmat bin Kenap | 6,711 | 53.59 |
| Geylang Serai | 13,837 | Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Melayu Singapura | Ahmad bin Haji Taff | 4,978 | 39.75 |
| Geylang Serai | 13,837 | United National Front | Raja Rom bin Raja Jaafar | 833 | 6.66 |
| Geylang West | 11,653 | People's Action Party | Yong Nyuk Lin | 7,320 | 69.28 |
| Geylang West | 11,653 | Workers' Party | Quek Doh Lam | 3,246 | 30.72 |
| Havelock | 10,849 | People's Action Party | Hon Sui Sen | 7,151 | 72.65 |
| Havelock | 10,849 | Barisan Sosialis | Harbans Singh | 2,692 | 27.35 |
| Henderson | 9,431 | People's Action Party | Lai Tha Chai | 6,577 | 74.43 |
| Henderson | 9,431 | People's Front | Wong Wen Nan | 2,260 | 25.57 |
| Hong Lim | 7,486 | People's Action Party | Lee Khoon Choy | 4,835 | 73.79 |
| Hong Lim | 7,486 | People's Front | Wong Kong Hoa | 1,717 | 26.21 |
| Jalan Besar | 10,310 | People's Action Party | Chan Chee Seng | 7,794 | 83.86 |
| Jalan Besar | 10,310 | United National Front | Johnnie Ng Kong Wah | 1,500 | 16.14 |
| Jalan Kayu | 14,982 | People's Action Party | Hwang Soo Jin | 8,283 | 59.42 |
| Jalan Kayu | 14,982 | Workers' Party | Madai Puthan Damodaran Nair | 5,137 | 36.86 |
| Jalan Kayu | 14,982 | United National Front | Ong Seng Kok | 518 | 3.72 |
| Joo Chiat | 15,684 | People's Action Party | Yeoh Ghim Seng | 11,669 | 83.49 |
| Joo Chiat | 15,684 | United National Front | William James Cook | 2,307 | 16.51 |
| Jurong | 15,348 | People's Action Party | Ho Kah Leong | 10,741 | 76.43 |
| Jurong | 15,348 | United National Front | Ng Soon Hee | 3,312 | 23.57 |
| Kallang | 17,232 | People's Action Party | Abdul Aziz bin Karim | 12,626 | 79.75 |
| Kallang | 17,232 | United National Front | Sultan Mydin bin Abdul Hamid | 3,205 | 20.25 |
| Kampong Chai Chee | 15,564 | People's Action Party | Sha'ari bin Tadin | 7,458 | 52.39 |
| Kampong Chai Chee | 15,564 | Barisan Sosialis | Ng Yang Choo | 4,188 | 29.42 |
| Kampong Chai Chee | 15,564 | Workers' Party | Hashim bin Yadi | 2,590 | 18.19 |
| Kampong Glam | 7,542 | People's Action Party | S. Rajaratnam | Uncontested | Uncontested |
| Kampong Kapor | 9,361 | People's Action Party | Yeo Toon Chia | 6,132 | 73.15 |
| Kampong Kapor | 9,361 | United National Front | Chng Boon Eng | 2,251 | 26.85 |
| Kampong Kembangan | 18,480 | People's Action Party | Mohamed Ariff bin Suradi | 9,671 | 57.53 |
| Kampong Kembangan | 18,480 | Workers' Party | Othman bin Abdullah | 5,451 | 32.43 |
| Kampong Kembangan | 18,480 | United National Front | Kamaruddin bin Hassan | 1,687 | 10.04 |
| Kampong Ubi | 15,431 | People's Action Party | Ya'acob bin Mohamed | 8,030 | 56.86 |
| Kampong Ubi | 15,431 | Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Melayu Singapura | Abdul Rahman bin Mohamed Zin | 5,076 | 35.94 |
| Kampong Ubi | 15,431 | United National Front | Darus bin Shariff | 1,017 | 7.20 |
| Katong | 16,766 | People's Action Party | Joseph Francis De Conceicao | Uncontested | Uncontested |
| Kim Keat | 14,640 | People's Action Party | Ong Teng Cheong | 10,262 | 74.00 |
| Kim Keat | 14,640 | Workers' Party | Seow Khee Leng | 3,022 | 21.79 |
| Kim Keat | 14,640 | United National Front | Winston J. Paglar | 583 | 4.21 |
| Kim Seng | 12,893 | People's Action Party | Ong Leong Boon | 8,178 | 67.74 |
| Kim Seng | 12,893 | Workers' Party | Heng Swee Tong | 3,895 | 32.26 |
| Kreta Ayer | 9,627 | People's Action Party | Goh Keng Swee | Uncontested | Uncontested |
| Kuo Chuan | 15,142 | People's Action Party | Pathmanaban Selvadurai | 10,523 | 73.69 |
| Kuo Chuan | 15,142 | Barisan Sosialis | P. Manokaran | 3,757 | 26.31 |
| Leng Kee | 17,158 | People's Action Party | Ahmad Mattar | 10,929 | 68.28 |
| Leng Kee | 17,158 | Workers' Party | Ng Ho | 4,036 | 25.21 |
| Leng Kee | 17,158 | United National Front | N. Loganathan | 1,042 | 6.51 |
| MacPherson | 15,637 | People's Action Party | Chua Sian Chin | 10,117 | 68.76 |
| MacPherson | 15,637 | Workers' Party | Lee Tow Kiat | 4,597 | 31.24 |
| Moulmein | 11,144 | People's Action Party | Lawrence Sia | 7,412 | 72.43 |
| Moulmein | 11,144 | Workers' Party | Cheng Poh Yew | 2,822 | 27.57 |
| Mountbatten | 14,396 | People's Action Party | Ng Yeow Chong | Uncontested | Uncontested |
| Nee Soon | 17,061 | People's Action Party | Ong Soo Chuan | 11,636 | 73.29 |
| Nee Soon | 17,061 | United National Front | Yap Fatt Shing | 4,240 | 26.71 |
| Pasir Panjang | 13,964 | People's Action Party | Othman Wok | 9,209 | 71.77 |
| Pasir Panjang | 13,964 | United National Front | Syed Ahmad bin Syed Husain | 3,623 | 28.23 |
| Paya Lebar | 19,102 | People's Action Party | Tay Boon Too | 11,073 | 61.59 |
| Paya Lebar | 19,102 | Workers' Party | Tan Poh Seng | 5,361 | 29.82 |
| Paya Lebar | 19,102 | Independent | Kow Kee Seng | 1,545 | 8.59 |
| Potong Pasir | 13,103 | People's Action Party | Ivan Cuthbert Baptist | 7,772 | 66.22 |
| Potong Pasir | 13,103 | Workers' Party | Rajaratnam Murugason | 3,391 | 28.89 |
| Potong Pasir | 13,103 | United National Front | Harnek Singh | 573 | 4.89 |
| Punggol | 15,303 | People's Action Party | Ng Kah Ting | 8,215 | 58.13 |
| Punggol | 15,303 | Independent | Ng Teng Kian | 5,917 | 41.87 |
| Queenstown | 18,458 | People's Action Party | Jek Yeun Thong | 14,200 | 81.24 |
| Queenstown | 18,458 | Workers' Party | Chua Eng Huat | 2,504 | 28.89 |
| Queenstown | 18,458 | United National Front | Lew Ban Huat | 775 | 4.43 |
| River Valley | 12,189 | People's Action Party | Tan Eng Liang | Uncontested | Uncontested |
| Rochore | 11,589 | People's Action Party | Toh Chin Chye | 6,218 | 60.40 |
| Rochore | 11,589 | Barisan Sosialis | Lee Siew Choh | 4,076 | 39.60 |
| Sembawang | 12,217 | People's Action Party | Teong Eng Siong | 8,466 | 77.36 |
| Sembawang | 12,217 | United National Front | Mohd Arif bin Sahul Hameed | 2,478 | 22.64 |
| Sepoy Lines | 12,308 | People's Action Party | Wee Toon Boon | 9,160 | 81.30 |
| Sepoy Lines | 12,308 | United National Front | Ho Soo Hock | 2,107 | 18.70 |
| Serangoon Gardens | 13,836 | People's Action Party | Leonard Peter Rodrigo | Uncontested | Uncontested |
| Siglap | 16,091 | People's Action Party | Abdul Rahim Ishak | 11,456 | 78.63 |
| Siglap | 16,091 | Workers' Party | Ariffin bin Noordin | 2,529 | 17.36 |
| Siglap | 16,091 | United National Front | Yahiya bin Haji Mohamed Ghouse | 584 | 4.01 |
| Stamford | 8,212 | People's Action Party | Fong Sip Chee | 5,083 | 71.77 |
| Stamford | 8,212 | Workers' Party | Chiang Seok Keong | 1,999 | 28.23 |
| Tampines | 15,302 | People's Action Party | Phua Bah Lee | 9,049 | 64.30 |
| Tampines | 15,302 | People's Front | Tan Sim Hock | 5,025 | 35.70 |
| Tanglin | 12,777 | People's Action Party | E. W. Barker | Uncontested | Uncontested |
| Tanjong Pagar | 9,946 | People's Action Party | Lee Kuan Yew | 7,542 | 84.08 |
| Tanjong Pagar | 9,946 | People's Front | Leong Mun Kwai | 1,428 | 15.92 |
| Telok Ayer | 10,547 | People's Action Party | Ong Pang Boon | 7,612 | 83.98 |
| Telok Ayer | 10,547 | United National Front | Ng Oh Chew | 1,452 | 16.02 |
| Telok Blangah | 14,624 | People's Action Party | N. Naidu Govindasamy | 7,669 | 57.92 |
| Telok Blangah | 14,624 | Workers' Party | Zainul Abiddin bin Mohd Shah | 4,714 | 35.60 |
| Telok Blangah | 14,624 | United National Front | Muthusamy Ramasamy | 858 | 6.48 |
| Thomson | 18,702 | People's Action Party | Ang Nam Piau | 12,378 | 72.55 |
| Thomson | 18,702 | People's Front | Wong Chung Kit | 4,683 | 27.45 |
| Tiong Bahru | 17,394 | People's Action Party | Ch'ng Jit Koon | 11,991 | 75.62 |
| Tiong Bahru | 17,394 | Workers' Party | Seow Yong Chew | 2,972 | 18.74 |
| Tiong Bahru | 17,394 | United National Front | Lee Kah Chit | 894 | 5.64 |
| Toa Payoh | 15,742 | People's Action Party | Eric Cheong Yuen Chee | 10,884 | 73.85 |
| Toa Payoh | 15,742 | Barisan Sosialis | Tay Cheng Kang | 3,853 | 26.15 |
| Ulu Pandan | 14,485 | People's Action Party | Chiang Hai Ding | 9,378 | 71.83 |
| Ulu Pandan | 14,485 | United National Front | Ang Kheng Kwan | 3,678 | 28.17 |
| Upper Serangoon | 16,621 | People's Action Party | Sia Kah Hui | 11,862 | 77.72 |
| Upper Serangoon | 16,621 | United National Front | Lim Kia Joo | 3,401 | 22.28 |
| Whampoa | 12,044 | People's Action Party | Augustine Tan Hui Heng | 8,773 | 78.55 |
| Whampoa | 12,044 | People's Front | Phang Juet Haw | 2,395 | 21.45 |
| Source: ELD Singapore Elections |||||||