GE14 | PAS vice-president Iskandar Abdul Samad today revealed that the party has the ambition to be the "king in Selangor" after the next 14th general election.

In his speech at a function to reveal the party's Selangor candidates, Iskandar said this was in line with PAS' earlier announcement that it is prepared to contest in more than 160 parliament seats.

"It has been said that we want to be the kingmaker. But with 160 federal seats, that is not a kingmaker but we want to be the king.

"Likewise in Selangor, I hope that we will no longer talk about being the kingmaker, PAS will be the 'king' along with our partners," said Iskandar in his opening speech at a ceremony to unveil Selangor PAS' GE14 candidates tonight.

PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang had previously said that PAS needs only to win 40 federal seats to place it in a position to make demands on either BN or Pakatan Harapan - neither of which he predicted could win enough seats to form a government.

In Selangor, Iskandar said PAS central leaders has made it a part of the party's strategy to capture the state from Harapan.

"We must lead Selangor. This is important because we want to deflect all allegations that PAS is just a party for the Malay belts in the North and East Coast.

"By leading Selangor, it will prove that PAS is not only a party for the Malays and Muslims, but capable of leading all Malaysians," said Iskandar.

'20 parliament, 47 state seats'

Selangor PAS commissioner Sallehin Mukhyi later announced the party's candidates for 20 out of 22 parliament seats and 47 out of 56 state seats.

Sallehin, who will be defending his Sabak state seat, later told reporters that the two remaining parliament seats - Subang and Damansara - might be contested by its Gagasan Sejahtera coalition partners Parti Ikatan Bangsa Malaysia or Berjasa.

Earlier during the announcement, some 1,000 PAS members who packed the venue in Shah Alam cheered and let out cries of "Allahuakbar!" when a prominent candidate or a hot seat contender went up on stage.

At parliament level, PAS has fielded Mohamed Diah Baharun, 53, in Kota Raja, where Amanah is expected to field its president Mohamad Sabu.

In Gombak, PAS has fielded 39-year-old engineer Khairil Nizam Khirudin, won in the last 13th general elections by PKR deputy president and caretaker Selangor menteri besar Mohamed Azmin Ali.

Similarly, PAS has fielded another youth candidate, 35-year-old full-time party activist Nurul Islam Mohamed Yusoff, in Ampang, which was previously won by Selangor PKR deputy chairperson Zuraida Kamaruddin.

At the state level, the loudest cheers greeted the announcement of Mohd Hanafi Zulkapli as PAS' candidate for Paya Jaras.

"If we still can't win then I don't know what to say," said Sallehin who introduced Mohd Hanafi as the candidate to reclaim a "stolen" PAS seat.

The Paya Jaras seat made headlines after its incumbent assemblyperson Khairuddin Othman quit PAS earlier this month to join PKR, one day after parliament was officially dissolved to make way for GE14.

As part of its "PAS For All" slogan, the party will also field two non-Muslim candidates in Selangor - Rajan Manikesavan in Sentosa (previously Kota Alam Shah) and Kong Tuck Wah in Rawang.

It also has nine women candidates in its line-up and Sallehin noted the number was more than other parties in Selangor so far.

All of the party's 13 incumbent candidates were retained to defend their seats, with exception of Dr Rani Osman who was promoted from Meru to contest the Kapar parliament seat.