Barisan Nasional's candidate for the Kuala Terangganu parliamentary seat by-election Wan Ahmad Farid has resigned from his deputy minister's post.

Likewise, he has also resigned from being a senator, effective today. He was only reappointed for a second-term senatorship last month.

wan ahmad farid salleh interview 041007 talking Wan Ahmad ( photo ), appointed deputy home minister after ther March general election, submitted his resignation letter last Friday.

His resignation from the two posts was to allow him to contest in the by-election which will be held on Jan 17.

Nomination for the by-election, caused by the sudden death of incumbent BN representative Razali Ismail on Nov 28, is tomorrow.

According to a Bernama report, Wan Ahmad's resignation letter was handed over by his principal private secretary Zulkifli Abidin to Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Senate President Dr Abdul Hamid Pawanteh.

Wan Ahmad is in Kuala Terengganu to make his rounds to meet his potential voters.

Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, who is also in Kuala Terengganu, this morning told reporters that Wan Farid will be reappointed as a deputy minister if he wins the by-election.

Nine nomination forms sold

kuala terengganu parliamnetary seat 291108 Yesterday, after a gathering with MCA members at Kampung Cina, Wan Ahmad said the opposition had no concrete national issues to play up during the by-election.

He will be facing PAS' Mohd Abdul Wahid Endut in his bid to retain the seat for Umno.

One other candidate - Angkatan Keadilan Insan Malaysia vice-president Harun Mohamad - is also expected to file in his nomination tomorrow.

However the Election Commission revealed that it had sold nine nomination forms as of yesterday.

There are a total of 80,229 voters in this constituency.

PAS' Mohd Abdul Wahid is the state representative of Wakaf Mempelam, a state seat under the Kuala Terengganu parliamentary constituency.