If the results of the Aug 1 Negeri Sembilan election tell a story of BN and Perikatan Nasional’s landslide ending Pakatan Harapan’s eight-year hold on the state, the polling outcome for the Nilai seat offers a narrower and cautionary footnote.

With Malays making up less than half (46 percent) of the seat’s electorate against 30 percent Chinese and 20 percent Indian voters, the five-cornered fight for Nilai saw BN putting forth MCA’s Alan Lai, who eventually came in second with 30.4 percent of the vote.

DAP’s J Arul Kumar emerged victorious with 48.8 percent of the vote, allowing him to retain the seat for a fourth term, albeit with his majority shrinking steadily from 47.3 percent in 2018, 37.7 percent in 2023, and 18.3 percent this time.

However, the more revealing outcome was Berjasa’s gains. Its candidate, Zamani Ibrahim, who contested as the...