KUALA LUMPUR, June 3 -- Ethnic Indian voters, long seen as a crucial swing bloc in Malaysia's tightest electoral contests, could play a muted but potentially decisive role in the 16th general election amid political fragmentation and growing voter frustration.

Numbering around 2.2 million people or 6.5 per cent of Malaysia's population of 34.2 million, Indian voters are being courted by at least seven race-based political parties competing for influence over the community.

Once dominant under Barisan Nasional (BN), the MIC now holds only one parliamentary seat - Tapah - and five state seats, marking a steep decline from its peak influence during BN's six-decade rule.

The party's fortunes began to fade after the 2008 general election de...