PH, BN at loggerheads over 3 seats in Selangor, says source

 

Selangor menteri besar Amirudin Shari recently said negotiations between Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional have not concluded for at least three seats.

PETALING JAYA: The state seats of Dengkil, Kuang and Meru have become contentious in the seat negotiation between Selangor Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Harapan (PH) for the upcoming state election, according to a source.

It is believed that both PKR and Umno are vying for the Dengkil and Kuang seats, which were won by Bersatu under the PH banner in the 14th general election (GE14) in May 2018, when the state and parliamentary polls were held simultaneously.

“Meru, where the incumbent assemblyman is from PKR, is also being sought by Umno because the party believes it can secure a victory based on the votes garnered in the recent general election (GE15),” the Umno source claimed, referring to the Kapar parliamentary seat in which Meru is located.

In GE14, Fakhrulrazi Mokhtar won the Meru seat on a PH ticket. He was with Amanah at the time but joined PKR two years later. It was previously reported that PKR was willing to return Meru to Amanah in the upcoming state polls.

Last Friday, Selangor menteri besar Amirudin Shari said decisions on at least three more seats have yet to be settled between BN and PH.

The Umno source also disclosed that Bukit Melawati assemblyman Juwairiya Zulkifli, who is also Amirudin’s political secretary, would be moving to the Ijok seat.

Based on the negotiations so far, Umno is expected to contest 13 seats but it is still in discussion with its partners in the unity government for several more, the source added.

Previously, Malaysiakini reported that Selangor PH initially offered 10 seats to BN, but the latter responded with a request for seven more seats, including for MCA and MIC.

Umno, as the sole representative party of BN in the Selangor state assembly, currently holds five seats – Sungai Air Tawar, Sungai Panjang, Hulu Bernam Sungai Burong and Semenyih.

The Selangor state assembly is set to dissolve automatically on June 25. It was previously reported that Amirudin expects to meet the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, in the third week of June to request for the dissolution of the state assembly.

The six states facing elections this year are Selangor, Penang, Negeri Sembilan, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu. - FMT