BN wants five FT seats in next GE, only three not held by Harapan

BN is eyeing to contest five parliamentary seats in the Federal Territories - a move that may put it on a collision course with Madani coalition partner, Pakatan Harapan.

BN chief Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said discussions will be held with Madani coalition partners in the government to finalise the seat allocation. 

“What is important now is to regain support in the Federal Territories. I hope we can win not just the three seats held by BN, including Titiwangsa, but also reclaim Putrajaya, and Labuan.

“Insya-Allah, we will negotiate in good faith. We’ll secure the five seats and prove ourselves, as we did in the by-elections in Nenggiri and Mahkota,” Zahid was quoted as saying by Berita Harian.

Only three Federal Territories seats are not held by Harapan. Titiwangsa is held by BN while PN won Putrajaya and Labuan. 

BN’s ambitions mean it will have to wrestle off at least two seats from its Madani partner.

Nine Federal Territories seats - Kepong, Batu, Wangsa Maju, Segambut, Bukit Bintang, Lembah Pantai, Seputeh, Cheras, and Bandar Tun Razak - have been held by Harapan parties since 2008.

Another seat, Setiawangsa, has been held by Harapan since 2018.

Unity through collaboration

Zahid assured that there would be no overlapping of seats with Harapan, emphasising the importance of mutual cooperation between the coalition partners.

“In politics, there are no permanent friends or enemies - only permanent interests. However, in this case, it’s not about individual interests or even just BN or Harapan’s interests, but the interest of the Unity Government we’ve built together,” he said during the Perak BN Convention. 

“We must help one another. Don’t worry - there won’t be overlapping seats. Let me discuss this with our ‘big brother’ in PKR, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim,” he said.

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