JOHOR Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman Hasni Mohammad will retain his post as menteri besar if the coalition wins the Johor elections, BN chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said today.

“Our ‘poster boy’ Hasni will continue as menteri besar,” Zahid said, when announcing the BN candidates in Johor Baru, today.

The BN chairman and Umno president added that Hasni would stand in the Benut seat.

Hasli, a three-term assemblyman, retained the Malay-majority seat in the last general election by defeating Bersatu’s Zulkifly Tasrep and PAS’s Mohd Firdaus Jaffar with a 4,447-vote majority.

For the coming polls, Umno is contesting 37 constituencies, while its BN allies MCA and MIC line up in 15 and four seats respectively.

From the list of candidates announced, 10 incumbents – eight Umno and two MIC – will fight to retain their seasts: Benut, Buloh Kasap, Sri Medan, Semarang, Pasir Raja, Parit Raja, Panti and Tanjung Surat for Umno, and Kahang and Tenggaroh for MIC.

Umno Supreme Councillor Mohd Puad Zarkashi will stand in the Rengit constituency.

Nominations are on Saturday, with voting on March 12. – February 24, 2022.