The coming Legislative Council election has thrown up some unexpected links, with several Hong Kong tycoons nominating candidates who are non-core establishment or union representatives, who in turn have backed the real estate sector.

A check of nomination forms submitted by all 161 Legco hopefuls found that top figures from major developers had taken different approaches in naming aspirants running in the December 7 poll, the second under Beijing’s “patriots-only” electoral overhaul.

New World Development executive director Sonia Cheng Chi-man nominated Tsang Chi-man and So Pak-tsan – vice-president and vice-chairman of the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions (FTU) respectively.

Cheng also nominated Michael Liu Tsz-chung of the New People’s Party.

FTU president Stanley Ng Chau-pei and Lee Kwong-yu, another federation vice-chairman, nominated Augustine Wong Ho-ming, executive director of Henderson Land Group, who is running in the real estate and construction functional constituency.

Explaining the unusual mutual support between sectors that were normally at odds over labour issues, FTU chairman Kingsley Wong Kwok said on Friday that candidates were required to secure nominations from the business sector, one of the five segments of the 1,500-member Election Committee, to enter the revamped race.