Taking part in beauty competitions while serving as a public representative is politically and practically infeasible, a commentator and former contestants have said after the city’s youngest district councillor dropped out of this year’s Miss Hong Kong Pageant.

Veteran political commentator Sonny Lo Shiu-hing said that he believed Sai Kung district councillor Angel Chong Nga-ting, 24, had faced pressure from her party, the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, to withdraw from the contest.

Lo said the party was likely to be preparing to mobilise its members for the Legislative Council election in December.

“Having a district council member suddenly run for the Miss Hong Kong Pageant does not look good for the party’s image and its preparation for the election,” he said.

“From the perspective of the largest political party [in Hong Kong], it expects party members to stick to party discipline.

“By party discipline, it means that once they become a district councillor, it’s a full-time job and they should be devoted to dealing with constituency services and residents’ concerns.”