PAKATAN Harapan-Barisan Nasional will face off Perikatan Nasional in most of the seats in the Kelantan and Terengganu elections on August 12. 

Terengganu will see only two tri-cornered fights – for Hulu Besut and Bandar. 

In Hulu Besut, four-term incumbent, Nawi Mohamad (BN)  is up against Mohd Husaimi Hussain (Bersatu) and Che Harun Kamariah (Independent).

Bandar incumbent Ahmad Shah Muhamed (PAS) face Armi Irzan Mohd (BN) and Luqman Long (Muda).

Caretaker menteri besar Ahmad Shamsuri Mokhtar will defend Ru Rendang against challenger Suhaimi Sulaiman (PH).

The Kijal seat is expected to be a close contest between incumbent Ahmad Said, who is the state BN chairman, and Bersatu information chief Razali Idris.

Another former menteri besar, Ahmad Razif Abdul Rahman will defend Seberang Takir against Khazan Che Mat (PAS).

PAS fielded 27 candidates and Bersatu, five, in the elections for Terengganu’s 32 state seats in Terengganu, with the aim to repeating their sweeping achievement of winning all of the state’s eight parliamentary seats in last year’s general elections.

BN also fielded 27 candidates. Five more were supplied by PH.

Meanwhile, Azan Ismail (PH) is challenging incumbent Ahmad Amzad Hashim (PAS) for the Kuala Terengganu federal seat in the by-election that will be held on the same day as the state polls.

IN KELANTAN, three-way contests are lined up for Chempaka, Tendong, Jelawat, and Temangan.

Chempaka incumbent Nik Asma Baharum Nik Abdullah (PAS) is standing against Nik Normi Nik Ayub (BN) and Ibrahim Sulong (Independent). 

Rozi Muhamad (PAS) will fight to keep Tendong from Noor Hariri Mohamed Noor (BN) and Suzainal Adnan Sukri (Bebas).

Zameri Nawang (PAS), Yusri Che Noh (BN) and Zulkarnain Haron (Bebas) are the three candidates for Jelawat.

Temangan incumbent Mohamed Fadzli Hassan (PAS) is expected to see off Abdul Kadir Othman (PH) and Mohamed Fadzli Hassan.

Kota Lama state seat will see a rare four-cornered fight between Zamry Ismail (PAS), Hafidzah Mustakim (PH), Tan Boon Kian (PRM) and Izat Bukhary Ismail Bukhary (Independent).

Analysts had predicted straight fights in the state polls the November general election

Ilham Center executive director Hisomuddin Bakar said political parties that lost multi-cornered contests would revert to a more viable policy of going one-to one.

Hisomuddin said BN would need to work with PH and could no longer compete as a third bloc.

In the general election, PH won 82 of the 222 seats in parliament. PN won 74 and BN, only 30.

A total of 9,773,571 registered voters are eligible to vote in the six state elections, 930,894 of them in Terengganu and 1,411,912 in Kelantan. – July 29, 2023.