Zahid spurns PN’s appeal for 2 more seats in Melaka polls pact

Barisan Nasional has rejected Perikatan Nasional’s appeal for two more seats under their pact for the Nov 14 Melaka state election.

BN chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the Umno-led coalition is sticking to contesting the lion’s share of seats at 21 and allocating seven to PN.

The Umno president added that this was already agreed by PN previously, Bernama reported.

“I have heard about efforts to seek additional seats, but we already have an agreement to allow them to contest the seven seats BN is not contesting. We leave it to PN’s components to distribute those seats among themselves.

“That is the decision for now, and we will stand by what we have mutually agreed upon,” he was quoted as saying.

Previously, PN denied that seat talks with BN had been finalised, after Zahid announced that “PAS and its friends” agreed to contest seven seats under a pact with BN.

PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man later appealed for PN to be allocated two additional seats.

In the 2021 Melaka polls, BN won 21 seats while Pakatan Harapan secured five and PN two, through Bersatu.

PAS later gained one seat after Rembia assemblyman Jailani Khamis defected from Umno to the Islamic party, before the state’s anti-hopping law took effect.