KUALA LUMPUR, July 17 -- Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman raised RM54,692 on the opening day of his 170km charity run to Johor, Berita Harian reported.

The total puts the campaign more than a quarter of the way towards its RM200,000 fundraising target.

The four-day run began at Putrajaya's Palace of Justice and will finish in Muar.

It aims to raise money for students and struggling families in the parliamentary constituency while also marking what Syed Saddiq described as the end of his six-year legal battle to clear his name.

In a video shared online, the former youth and sports minister said he had been overwhelmed by supporters who gathered from Putrajaya to Salak Tinggi before an even larger reception awaited him in Labu, whe...