Anwar was tipped to win the vote on the back of promises of change [AFP]

Anwar's party, the Keadilan, or People's Justice, said on Tuesday that he is expected to win at least 70 per cent of the vote for the Permatang Pauh constituency in the state of Penang, just hours after polling closed.

The projected win comes despite the former deputy prime minister fighting charges of - and due to go on trial soon for - allegedly committing sodomy with a male aide.

Tian Chua, an official of the Keadilan party, said voters have given "a sound endorsement to Anwar".

There is "firm indication of a landslide victory for Anwar", Chua said.

The 61-year-old is pitted against Arif Shah Omar Shah, who represents the Barisan Nasional (BN) ruling coalition.

Anwar was tipped to win the vote on the back of promises to bring about change and forge national unity.

His aides have said up to 30 MPs from the governing coalition could defect to the opposition leader's party if he wins the by-election.

'Dirty campaign'

Last month, the new sex allegation surfaced as Anwar stepped up his campaign to return to parliament.

He claims the BN "orchestrated the entire malicious, dirty campaign in time for this election", referring to the sodomy charge filed by Mohamad Saiful Bukhari Azlan, 23, a former aide.

Under Malaysian law, sodomy is illegal even if consensual and a conviction could see Anwar jailed for up to 20 years.

Election law rules that a person can contest an election unless he or she is convicted of an offence before polling day.

"What is important to me is to win, whether it is by a margin of one or 10,000, it doesn't matter," Anwar said on Monday.

Anwar, who was deputy prime minister before he was sacked on sodomy and corruption charges 10 years ago, was expected to secure most of the ethnic Chinese and Indian votes.

Ethnic Malay voters, however, appeared split between him and the BN's Arif Shah.

Ibrahim Suffian, director of the independent Merdeka Centre, which conducted a telephone poll of 544 voters from Friday to Sunday, said more than half believed that Anwar was "capable of bringing change that will benefit the people regardless of race".

"I think it's a test of who protects the Malay interests the most, to which party will they entrust the political future."

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