JOHOR POLLS | All major political coalitions are set to wrap up their election candidate announcements today.
BN will kick the day off with the unveiling of their 56 candidates at the state Umno building in Johor Bahru at 10am.
It will be interesting to observe the extent of concession that will be made by Umno's partners MCA and MIC.
Umno had demanded to contest 42 seats in the Johor polls, up from 35 in the last general election.
If Umno has its way, MCA and MIC will need to concede a total of five seats to Umno. Another two can come from Gerakan, which is no longer part of BN.
In the 2018 general election, Umno contested 35 seats, MCA in 15, MIC in four and Gerakan in two.
At noon, Parti Bangsa Malaysia (PBM), which has been linked by Bersatu supreme council member Zuraida Kamaruddin, will announce their candidates.
They are expected to only contest in a handful of seats. The announcement will be in Ulu Tiram, in the suburb of Johor Bahru.
PBM is seen as a future platform for Zuraida, who is said to have fallen out of favour in Bersatu.
At 2pm today, former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's Parti Pejuang Tanah Air (Pejuang) will announce its candidates in Muar, Johor.
The party will only contest in 42 out of the 56 Johor state seats and put its focus on Malay-majority constituencies.
The guest of honour will be Pejuang president Mukhriz Mahathir. His father, however, will be absent has he has been given medical advice not to visit Johor due to the Covid-19 threat and his advanced age.
Mahathir, who will be 97 this year, was discharged from the National Heart Institute earlier this month.
PN's opposition-style strategy
Also at 2pm, Muda will announce the last of their six candidates in Johor Bahru. The two seats are Parit Raja and Machap.
All eyes will be on the event for a hint if Muda will contest against PKR candidates. PKR has threatened to retaliate if they do.
For now, Muda's invitation is specific to the two seats, which were already allocated to Muda. All six of Muda's seats were given by Amanah and DAP. No deal was achieved with PKR.
At 3.30pm, it will be Perikatan Nasional's (PN) turn to unveil their candidates.
Their seat negotiations have been relatively smooth, considering Gerakan and PAS have limited presence in Johor and are happy to give Bersatu the leading role.
Something worth noting is whether PN plans to field any heavyweights in BN strongholds.
PN chairperson Muhyiddin Yassin, who was part of Pakatan Harapan for three years before taking Bersatu out of the coalition, has in the past adopted opposition-style strategies against BN, such as fielding heavyweights against their rival's top guns.
In the Malacca polls last November, PN fielded Bersatu supreme council member Mas Ermieyati Samsudin, who is also the Masjid Tanah MP, against Malacca Umno chief Ab Rauf Yusoh in Tanjung Bidara.
PN also nominated Mas Ermieyati as the menteri besar candidate, which would make her the first woman head of government if PN wins the state.
Ermieyati lost narrowly with a 364-vote-majority but it was seen as a significant progress in a formerly impenetrable BN stronghold.
Topping off the day will be DAP, which will announce its final two candidates in Kulai, Johor, at 5pm. The two seats are Perling and Skudai.
It will mark the end of Pakatan Harapan's candidates' announcement. both PKR and Amanah have already unveiled their full line-up.
The nomination day for the Johor polls is on Feb 26. Johoreans will go to the polls on March 12. - Mkini
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