Melaka Polls: Khairy tells BN, Pas supporters to back each other’s candidates

DUYONG – Former Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin has called on Barisan Nasional (BN) and Perikatan Nasional (PN) supporters to put their political differences aside and back each other’s candidates in constituencies where their respective parties are not contesting.

He said the electoral understanding between the two coalitions must translate into actual votes, with grassroots supporters expected to honour the agreed seat allocations.

Khairy gave Bukit Katil as an example, where Pas is contesting without a BN candidate, urging Umno and BN supporters there to rally behind the PN candidate.

"Send word to our friends, for example in Bukit Katil, because there is a Pas candidate there and we did not field a BN candidate. Over there, it is mandatory for Umno and BN voters to give their support to PN-Pas.

"In areas where Pas is not contesting, such as in Duyong, on behalf of BN and Umno, I am asking for help in the spirit of cooperation and consensus of the Malay-Muslim community, to support our candidate Datuk Helmy and other candidates from Umno and BN," he said.

He was speaking while campaigning alongside BN's incumbent Duyong assemblyman Datuk Mohd Noor Helmy Abdul Halem on Monday, Nov 9.

The former minister said his observations on the ground showed that cooperation between BN and PN was not limited to their top leadership, with both sides also coordinating their campaign efforts at the grassroots level.

He said this could be seen through joint activities involving voting district centres and party branches across Melaka, suggesting that both sides were working together to honour the seat-sharing arrangement.

His appeal comes as BN and PN seek to turn their electoral understanding into votes across the 28 constituencies in the Melaka state election.

The Election Commission has set Nov 14 as polling day for the 16th Melaka state election, following the dissolution of the State Legislative Assembly on Sept 23. Nomination day was held on Oct 31, while early voting is scheduled for today.

A total of 79 candidates are contesting the 28 state seats. A coalition needs at least 15 seats to secure a simple majority and form the state government, while 19 seats are required for a two-thirds majority.

In the previous state election in 2021, BN won 21 seats, followed by Pakatan Harapan (PH) with five and PN with two.