Umno supreme council member Nazri Abdul Aziz welcomes former party president Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s decision to campaign against BN in the Kuala Kangsar by-election.

Nazri, who is a Perak Umno leader, said Mahathir has become an “unbecoming” character and would only turn off voters, and this would benefit BN.

“A lot (of people) have lost faith in him. He is becoming a most unbecoming character. If he comes to Kuala Kangsar, I would be happy because I don’t think he will attract voters, but people will just dislike his presence and vote for us,” he said when met at the Parliament lobby.

Nazri's parliamentary constituency of Padang Rengas is located 15km from Kuala Kangsar.

Mahathir, who is leading an anti-Najib Citizens' Declaration campaign, “is no longer a statesman” and has lost his credibility, Nazri said.

“This is a free and democratic country. Mahathir is free to go anywhere. He’s not being held under Internal Security Act, unlike (dissenters) during his time.

“So we welcome him and will wait for him in Kuala Kangsar. Bertumbuk-bertumbuk lah (Bring on the fight),” Nazri, who is Tourism and Culture Minister, said.

Citizens' Declaration stalwart and former Umno man Khairuddin Abu Hassan said Mahathir would campaign against BN in next month's Sungai Besar and Kuala Kangsar by-elections

The constituencies will go to the polls on June 18, following the deaths of incumbents Noriah Kasnon and Wan Muhammad Khair-il Anuar Wan Ahmad in a May 5 helicopter crash during the Sarawak election campaign.

Analysts believe Mahathir’s presence at the by-elections will not help Pakatan Harapan candidates due to disunity in the opposition bloc.

PAS, which is not a member of Pakatan Harapan, insists on contesting the seats against BN, raising the possibility of three-cornered fights if either PKR or Parti Amanah Negara joins the fray.

PKR is negotiating with PAS to stand down in Sungai Besar, while Amanah has urged its ally to ignore PAS. DAP has given its backing to Amanah to contest both the by-elections.

BN won both seats against PAS with a winning margin of just under one percent in the 2013 general election.

Analysts say the twin polls could indicate the outcome of the 14th general election, as about 80 seats in Peninsular Malaysia were won in GE13 with similar margins.

Both Kuala Kangsar and Sungai Besar are Malay-majority semi-rural areas, with Chinese voters making up about 30 percent.

Meanwhile, Deputy Agriculture and Agro-based Industries Minister Tajuddin Abdul Rahman said Mahathir would not gain traction, even if he harped on the 1MDB and RM2.6 billion donation scandal.

This was because the voters in Sungai Besar and Kuala Kangsar would not respect a man who betrays his party.

"He will only get one or two votes (for the opposition candidate).

"But in a democracy system, what important is the majority. Can he (Mahathir) get majority votes? No, he cannot," Tajuddin added.

Mahathir is not a threat to Umno, he stressed.