Lembah Pantai Umno division head Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin has denied that Independent candidate Rusli Baba, who is running for the Lembah Pantai parliamentary seat, is an Umno member.      

"He is no longer an Umno member for he had been sacked," he said in a text message today.      

Raja Nong Chik is contesting the seat in a three-cornered fight with Rusli and incumbent Nurul Izzah Anwar of Parti Keadilan Rakyat.      

Speaking to reporters after filing his nomination papers yesterday, Rusli claimed that he was an Umno member.      

Meanwhile, Lembah Pantai Barisan Nasional coordinating secretary Mohamad Sazali Kamilan said Rusli was expelled from Umno on April 6 after expressing his wish to contest the seat.     

"He (Rusli) has expressed his wish through various channels (including social media), so we've sent a letter to Umno, asking for his dismissal effective April 6.

"He was not an active party member," said Mohamad Sazali, who is also Lembah Pantai Umno Youth chief, when contacted.    

Rusli, 54, expressed his wish to contest as an Independent candidate for the seat in his Twitter posting on March 2.      

Meanwhile, Independent candidate for the Bandar Tun Razak parliamentary constituency Mohd Sukeri Abdul Samad has also been expelled from Umno with immediate effect.      

Bandar Tun Razak Umno Division Youth chief Rizalman Mokhtar said Mohd Sukeri, who was Umno division executive secretary, was sacked at the division's meeting chaired by him (Rizalman) last night.      

"Mohd Sukeri is no longer an Umno member. Do not believe him if he claims that he is advancing the BN agenda and will rejoin Umno if he is elected," Rizalman told Bernama.      

Apart from Mohd Sukeri, BN's Tan Kok Eng is facing a four-cornered fight in the constituency with incumbent Abdul Khalid Ibrahim of the PKR and Raya Permai Umno branch information chief Mokthar Salahudin.      

Abdul Khalid won the seat in the 2008 general election, beating BN's Tan Chai Ho with a 2,515-vote majority.      

- Bernama