Court rejects PN bid to lift suspension ahead of Melaka polls

Political analyst Dr Ong Kian Ming suggests that the Barisan Nasional (BN) party could gain three or four additional seats in the upcoming Melaka state election. The analyst believes the current "blue wave" sentiment could enable BN to snatch at least one or two seats from the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition. Specifically, Dr Ong expects BN to target the Bukit Katil and Ayer Keroh seats, both currently held by the PH.

He also believes the DAP party is unlikely to reclaim the Duyong seat, as the DAP candidate lost there by a narrow margin in the previous election. There is potential for BN to increase its number of seats to 24 or 25, as BN may cooperate with Pas. Dr Ong does not believe BN will win all five PH seats, but PH might lose one or two, including the seats held by Adly Zahari in Bukit Katil and Ayer Keroh.

These two seats are considered highly precarious for the PH. The Election Commission has scheduled the 16th Melaka state election for November 14, with nomination day set for October 31 and early voting tentatively planned for November 10. Dr Ong attributes BN's advantage in Melaka to the PH's lack of a unified narrative, particularly regarding cooperation with other political coalitions.

While PKR and Amanah claim to want to work with BN, the DAP has firmly refused. This discord among the opposition parties could confuse voters. Meanwhile, the DAP has taken a more assertive stance in expressing its discontent with any efforts to facilitate the release of former Prime Minister Najib Razak. Melaka DAP chairman and state PH deputy chairman Khoo Poay Tiong initially stated that the PH Melaka team intended to contest the 16th state election independently, without aligning with Bersatu or other coalitions.

However, acting Melaka PKR leadership council chairman Adam Adli Abdul Halim criticized him, stating that no final decision had been made regarding the form of electoral cooperation. For the upcoming state election, the DAP plans to contest eight of the 28 state seats, including its existing seats and additional constituencies such as Bandar Hilir, Kesidang, Kota Laksamana, Ayer Keroh, Duyong, and Bemban.