Ruling coalition Barisan Nasional will announce its candidate for the Batu Talam state by-election tonight, said Pahang Umno chief Adnan Yaakob.

Adnan, also the state's menteri besar, would be meeting Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi later today to submit a list of potential candidates.

Abdullah, who is also the Umno president and the BN chairperson, will be handed the list this afternoon as he returns from attending the Asean Summit in Cebu, the Philippines.

The list of the potential candidates have been shown to deputy premier Najib Abdul Razak last night.

Adnan, quoted by Bernama , said seven potential candidates had been shortlisted by the Raub Umno Division at a meeting on Jan 4.

"All the potential candidates are local though there are among them those who are not committee members of the Raub Umno Division," he said.

"I am sure that once the name of the candidate is announced by the party president, all of us here will accept it and that the party members will give their undivided support," he added.

He did not however say where the announcement will be made tonight.

He added that the BN was prepared to face the by-election although an election atmosphere was missing after PAS announced it was boycotting the by-election.

Seven nomination forms sold

Adnan however expressed his worries that there would be a low voter turn-out on polling day, in the event of a contest, because of the perception that the BN would definitely win.

"It is important for the Barisan election machinery to ensure that voters cast their votes," he said.

Nomination Day for the by-election is tomorrow and polling is on Jan 28. The seat fell vacant after BN assemblyman Datuk Tengku Paris Tengku Razlan, 66, died of cancer on Dec 27 last year.

It was also reported in the media today that, as of yesterday evening, seven nomination forms for the by-election have been sold.

Among the buyers were a DAP member, according to a report in the New Straits Times today.

The report said that five of the purchasers were people who had contested the seat before.

Batu Talam has 10,525 registered voters, of whom 73 percent are Malays, 14 percent Chinese and 13 percent made up of Indian and Orang Asli voters.