Former Kedah menteri besar Mukhriz Mahathir believes that BN may lose Kedah in the next general elections if Najib Abdul Razak remains as Umno president and prime minister.

"If he still heads the party until GE14, then I don't think we will win (in Kedah)," he told Malaysiakini during an interview in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

According to Mukhriz, Najib must step down from both posts to ensure a BN win in Kedah as the image of Umno will never recover if the Pekan MP still maintains his grip on power.

"It is the president and nothing else which has tarnished the party's image," he said.

"If the party leadership can be transformed, then this will appease the rakyat and Umno members and may save the day.

“I am saying that we will certainly lose, but if there is a change in party leadership, if Najib were to withdraw before GE14, there is still a chance for us to win," Mukhriz said.

Asked on what his hopes are for Kedah in the next national polls, the Jerlun assemblyperson said that he wants Kedah to continue to be under BN rule.

However, he said that if there was no change in leadership, BN's chances of winning would be very slim as the people of Kedah had seen the political machinations which had befallen him as the actions of an oppressive leadership.

"I think because of that, they may feel that Umno and BN is no longer fit to receive their support," he said.

Mukhriz was removed as MB on Feb 3 and was replaced by Ahmad Bashah Md Hanipah who was then deputy state Umno chief. Bashah also replaced Mukhriz as state Umno chief.

The former MB was removed after a two-week-long political siege that started off after Bashah led a pro-Najib faction of Kedah Umno in a public show of no confidence against Mukhriz, though the MB countered by mobilising public support and tenaciously hanging on by the skin of his teeth.

Bashah ultimately managed to compel the bulk of the BN state representatives and several opposition assemblypersons to oppose Mukhriz, resulting in the Kedah regency council to determine that the then MB had lost majority support. Muhkriz was then forced to resign.

The rebels accused Mukhriz of failing in his duties, though the ex-MB claimed that he was targeted for his vocal criticism of Najib over the 1MDB and RM2.6 billion donation scandals.

Besides Mukhriz, former deputy prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin was also removed from his cabinet post and was recently suspended as Umno deputy president for the same sin of questioning Najib over the twin scandals.