Guna Balakrishnan

Summary

Guna Balakrishnan is a PKR politician serving as Tebrau division deputy chief who has been fielded by Pakatan Harapan as its candidate for the N27 Layang-Layang seat in the 16th Johor State Election, with polling set for 11 July 2026. He is contesting a three-cornered race against the incumbent PN-Bersatu candidate Abd Mutalip Abd Rahim — who won the seat under BN-UMNO in 2022 with a 2,815-vote majority — and a BN-MCA challenger. Limited biographical information about his personal history, education, or prior career is publicly available from credible sources.

Biography

Guna Balakrishnan is a Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) politician active in Johor who serves as the deputy chief of the PKR Tebrau division [1]. He is PKR's candidate for the N27 Layang-Layang state seat in the 16th Johor State Legislative Assembly election, scheduled for 11 July 2026 [2]. His candidacy was announced by Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on 22 June 2026 at the PH Candidate Announcement Ceremony at Padang Bukit Gambir Extreme Park in Tangkak, as part of PH's full slate of 56 candidates for the Johor election [3]. He was among the PH candidates who attended a joint press conference in Kulai alongside PH secretariat chief Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail and PKR vice president Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari ahead of the polls [4]. The Layang-Layang constituency, located within the Kluang district in Johor, has 25,181 registered voters as of the 2026 election cycle [5]. The seat was held in the 2022 state election by Abd Mutalip Abd Rahim of BN-UMNO, who won with a majority of 2,815 votes [6]. In 2026, Abd Mutalip has since moved to Bersatu and is contesting the same seat under the Perikatan Nasional banner, while BN fields Chua Jian Boon of MCA [7]. Beyond electoral activities, Guna Balakrishnan has been active in community development in the Johor region, including participation in entrepreneurship and digital skills initiatives [1]. Detailed personal biographical information — including date of birth, educational background, and prior career history — was not available from credible allowlist sources at the time of publication.

Known for

Guna Balakrishnan is known as the PKR Tebrau division deputy chief and PKR's candidate for the Layang-Layang state seat in the 2026 Johor state election [8]. He has been publicly identified as an advocate for women's entrepreneurship and digital skills development at the community level in Johor [1]. He is part of PH's broader push to contest all 56 seats in Johor and capture the state government that Barisan Nasional has held since the 2022 election [7].

Political positions

No detailed personal policy positions for Guna Balakrishnan were found in allowlist sources at the time of publication. As a PH candidate under the PKR banner in Johor, he operates within the coalition's stated electoral platform, which — according to PH secretariat chief Saifuddin Nasution — centres on economic stability and prosperity, public welfare, political stability, good governance, increasing state revenue, and fair distribution to the people [9]. PH has emphasised performance-based politics as a contrast to identity politics in the Johor campaign [9]. In his public community engagement role, Guna Balakrishnan has expressed support for long-term skills-based mentoring for women as a tool for economic empowerment [1].

Political career

1. December 2025Identified in The Star as Tebrau PKR deputy chief, attending a graduation ceremony for the 'EmpowerHer' women's entrepreneurship programme in Johor Bahru and commenting in support of skills-based mentoring for women.⛓
2. 22 June 2026Announced as Pakatan Harapan's PKR candidate for the N27 Layang-Layang seat in the 16th Johor State Election at the PH candidate announcement ceremony at Padang Bukit Gambir Extreme Park, Tangkak.⛓
3. 27 June 2026Confirmed as official candidate for N27 Layang-Layang by the Election Commission following nomination day. Attended a PH press conference in Kulai with PH secretariat chief Saifuddin Nasution Ismail and PKR vice president Amirudin Shari.⛓

Election history

• 2026N27 Layang-Layang, JohorPending⛓

Perspectives on key issues

• VerifiedFactsGuna Balakrishnan is PKR's official candidate for N27 Layang-Layang, confirmed by the Election Commission after nomination day on 27 June 2026. The constituency has 25,181 registered voters and was won by BN-UMNO in 2022 with a majority of 2,815 votes.⛓
• GovernmentPH chairman Anwar Ibrahim described all 56 PH Johor candidates, including Guna Balakrishnan, as Johoreans who understand the people's needs and local issues, selected from more than 1,000 eligible names.⛓
• OppositionIncumbent Layang-Layang assemblyman Abd Mutalip Abd Rahim, who won the seat in 2022 under BN-UMNO, has since joined Bersatu and is contesting the same seat under PN in 2026, directly challenging Guna Balakrishnan.⛓