The Hulu Selangor Umno division has stepped up the pressure on Barisan Nasional chairperson Najib Abdul Razak to field an Umno candidate for the forthcoming by-election there.

The latest demand for the seat to be returned to Umno came from 54 chairpersons of the Federal Village Security and Development Committees (JKKKP), in a memorandum submitted to Najib on March 30.

Deputy division chief Adnan Buyong told Malaysiakini that the 54 signatories were of view that the Malay majority constituency wanted to be represented by Umno.

NONE "The memorandum speaks of the history of the Hulu Selangor seat and the grassroots hope for the seat to be returned to Umno," said Adnan.

Umno made way for MIC to contest in the seat in 1990 which had consistently won the seat for BN until 2008, when G Palanivel ( left ) lost narrowly to PKR's Zainal Abidin Ahmad.

But MIC is unwilling to give up the seat and is expected to hold negotiations with the Najib, who is also Prime Minister, in Putrajaya today.

The Hulu Selangor constituency consist of 63,539 voters of which 53.9 percent are Malay, 26.7 percent Chinese and 19 percent Indian.

All three state assembly seats - Kuala Kubu Bharu (MCA), Batang Kali (Umno) and Hulu Bernam (Umno) - in the area are held by BN.