GE14 | In a surprise move, BN did not name Special Affairs Department (Jasa) director-general Mohd Puad Zarkashi as a candidate in Johor.

The Umno supreme council member was widely speculated to be nominated for the Batu Pahat parliamentary seat. He is the Batu Pahat Umno division chief.

Instead, BN will field Batu Pahat Wanita Umno division head Haliza Abdullah, a first-time candidate.

Puad was narrowly defeated in the 2013 general election by little known PKR candidate Idris Jusi.

According to The Star, there are speculations among locals that Puad may consider becoming an independent candidate for Batu Pahat and the Senggarang state seat.

When approached, Haliza declined to comment on Puad's fate or the likelihood that his backers might pose a problem to her campaign.

"BN lost the last round. We need to regain Batu Pahat. We will work together to resolve problems," she said.

Asked if there were efforts to placate Puad, Johor BN secretary Jais Sarday said that task should be performed by the party's top leadership.

On speculations that Puad might stand as an independent candidate, Jais said: "If he does so, he would be in the wrong and the party leadership will have to take action".

Attempts to contact Puad for comments have been unsuccessful.