Perak BN head Zambry Abdul Kadir and state MCA head Dr Mah Hang Soon are expected to be fielded as BN candidates for both the state legislative assembly and Parliament.

A report by The Star today claimed that Zambry is tipped to contest the Lumut parliamentary seat, while defending his Pangkor state seat.

As for Mah, he is expected to be fielded in Tanjong Malim, while defending his Chenderiang state seat.

Contesting both state and parliamentary seats simultaneously is an uncommon practice for BN in Peninsular Malaysia, though it is more usual practice for the coalition in Sabah and Sarawak.

In the last general election, only Kelantan BN chief Mustapa Mohamed did so in the peninsula.

The report cited Universiti Sains Malaysia lecturer Sivamurugan Pandian explaining that tapping state leaders to stand as parliamentary candidates widens Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's pool of choices.

"Maybe he wants to use their popularity to win parliamentary seats too, and not because there is a lack of potential leaders," he said.

This "two-seat" practice is more common among opposition candidates, especially DAP.

Notable “two-seat” candidates include Lim Guan Eng (Bagan parliamentary seat, Air Putih state assembly seat), Nga Kor Ming (Taiping and Kepayang) and Ngeh Koo Ham (Beruas and Sitiawan).

As for PKR, Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail is both Permatang Pauh MP and Kajang state assemblyperson, while Azmin Ali is both Gombak MP and Bukit Antarabangsa state assemblyperson.

PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang, meanwhile, is both the Marang MP and Ru Rendang state assemblyperson.