With four more days left to polling, the opposition and independents continue to slog on against heavy odds relying on few 'star' candidates to deny Barisan Nasional (BN) a clean sweep in Sabah.

On paper, BN could be denied a 100 percent win by candidates seen as proxies of some of its own component parties unhappy with seat allocation quota or the choice of candidates in certain areas.

There are 17 parliamentary and 51 state seats still up for grabs in the state.

According to a Kota Kinabalu-based political analyst, there are two parliamentary seats which could see a tight race the new Chinese-majority Kota Kinabalu (formerly Gaya) seat and Chinese-majority Sandakan seat in the East Coast.

At least five state seats are also seen as in danger of falling to either the opposition or independents. They are the new largely Chinese Luyang (one of three state seats within the Kota Kinabalu parliamentary constituency), the new predominantly-Kadazandusun Sook , the Chinese-majority Kepayan (new), Muslim-majority Kuala Penyu and predominantly-Kadazandusun Moyog .

BN's Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), DAP and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (Keadilan) are in a three-cornered fight in Kota Kinabalu, which because of its high percentage of Chinese voters (81 per cent) is being watched closely because the swing could go either way.

But the BN-PBS candidate Dr Yee Moi Chai, the former Tanjung Aru MP, is seen a as formidable because of his links to former Sabah chief minister Joseph Pairin Kitingan.

PBS factor

The PBS factor has been acknowledged as much by most political observers and by his two challengers Keadilan Sabah deputy chairperson lawyer Christina Liew ( left ) and DAP's Dr Hiew King Cheu.

Hiew, DAP's Kota Kinabalu branch chairperson, said: "It's 50:50 in Kota Kinabalu. The remaining 20 percent Muslim and non-Muslim bumiputera vote could provide a greater advantage to BN."

But where the opposition has a good chance of winning is Luyang where Keadilan's Liew will take on former senator Melanie Chia in this predominantly-Chinese constituency.

Liew, who stood on a Keadilan ticket and lost in the last Gaya parliamentary by-election, said as far as her party is concerned they have driven the message home to the electorate the need for "an effective opposition voice to reflect the many issues of concern to the people".

"In her three years as a senator what has my opponent (Melanie Chia) done? Only now she says she will work hard to bring up issues on behalf of the people," she added.

However, the Keadilan candidate is still nervous about the situation despite that work put in by the party and herself over the past few years.

"My gut feeling is it is still an uphill battle because you don't know what dirty tactics they are going to employ in the end," she claimed.

Keadilan already lost one of its candidates Pengiran Ruslan Pengiran Rasnun who gave a walkover for the BN candidate by withdrawing from the contest.

Meanwhile, Liew also expressed disappointment that DAP backed out from a proposed pact to avoid splitting the opposition vote.

In Sandakan, political analysts said the contest between BN incumbent Lau Ngan Siew and independent Chong Hong Min and Pasok's Liew Teck Khen is "more of a fight between the Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) Lau, the BN candidate, and a Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) proxy Chong".

Here the Chinese make up about 60 percent of the voters and Muslim bumiputeras about half with non Muslim bumiputeras the rest.

Personal score

Among the interior seats which could see possible BN casualties is the new Sook constituency which has hogged the limelight as the battlefield for two former comrades-in-arms.

They are Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS) president Joseph Kurup who is facing his former deputy Dr Jeffrey Kitingan ( right ), who is leading the Sabah Independent Front (SIF). The party is fielding about 20 plus independents in state seats and five parliamentary candidates.

Jeffrey, the maverick Sabah politician and brother of former Sabah chief ministe Pairin is out 'to settle a personal score' with Kurup who he failed to unhorse after a bitter leadership feud within PBRS several years ago.

On the going for SIF so far, Jeffrey told malaysiakini in a telephone interview from his home in Kota Kinabalu: "Very good, very exciting. Chances are very good."

But quickly added: "If only we had more resources we could have moved much faster on the ground."

Most political observers, however, agree that SIF's only chance is in Sook where the independent is said "to have a strong influence with his personality".

Of his opponent in Sook, Jeffrey said: "As far as I am concerned, he has failed to deliver. That is the key issue. It's the personality, the style of leadership. Another issue is land."

At the end of nominations and the following three-day cooling period, Sabah BN won eight parliamentary and nine state seats uncontested.