BAGAN DATUK, March 10 (Bernama) -- Barisan Nasional (BN) is expected to name its candidate for the Ayer Kuning by-election a week before the nomination day.
Deputy Prime Minister and BN chairman Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said that the candidate was selected from a list of six names submitted by the Tapah UMNO Division with the state liaison committee having a say in the matter.
"I hope this candidate meets the criteria expected by the residents and voters of Ayer Kuning and Tapah in general, so that we can, insya-Allah, replicate our success in previous by-elections," he said at a press conference after attending the Ihya' Ramadan Al-Mubarak Programme for the Year 1446 Hijrah/2026 AD here today.
When asked about coordination between BN and Pakatan Harapan (PH) for the by-election, Ahmad Zahid, who is also UMNO president, said that the BN-PH leadership, as well as component parties within BN, had reached an understanding.
"(MIC deputy president and Tapah MP) Datuk Seri M Saravanan and MCA state leaders have contacted me, and I have discussed with the War Room Committee at the national-level regarding the groundwork ," he said.
Polling day for the Ayer Kuning by-election is on April 26, with the nomination and early voting dates scheduled for April 12 and April 22, respectively.
The by-election is being held following the passing of its incumbent, Ishsam Shahruddin, 58, on Feb 22 due to a heart attack after participating in the Four-Cornered Football Championship at the City Stadium in George Town, Penang.
Ishsam, who had been the Tapah UMNO Division chief since 2018, won the Ayer Kuning seat in the 15th General Election (GE15) in November 2022 with a majority of 2,213 votes in a five-cornered contest.
Meanwhile, during today's programme, Ahmad Zahid, who is also the Member of Parliament for Bagan Datuk, distributed aid to over 1,000 recipients under the Bagan Datuk Asnaf Contribution Programme and the Ceria ke Sekolah 2025 initiative.
-- BERNAMA
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