KUALA LUMPUR: MCA will contest four seats in the Melaka election after securing Kota Laksamana, a constituency initially allocated to Perikatan Nasional (PN).
The latest allocation brings Barisan Nasional’s (BN) total to 23 seats, leaving PN and its allies with five of the 28 state constituencies.
MCA announced the additional seat in a Facebook post today, naming Melvin Chua Kew Wei as its candidate for Kota Laksamana.
“To voters in Melaka, these are the best candidates to represent you in the state assembly. Vote for BN candidates,” the post read.
Kota Laksamana had previously been allocated to PN as its sixth seat, with the coalition announcing on Thursday that its candidate would be named later.
PN had unveiled five candidates, comprising two each from Pas and Parti Wawasan Negara (Wawasan), and one from Gerakan.
They included Hang Tuah Jaya Pas committee member Ridzuan Sarif, who will contest Bukit Katil, and Tangga Batu Pas deputy chief Rafie Ahmad, who will contest Paya Rumput.
However, Kota Laksamana was subsequently allocated to MCA, reducing PN’s share to five seats.
MCA will also field incumbents Datuk Ngwe Hee Sem in Machap Jaya and Datuk Lim Ban Hong in Klebang, while Melaka Historic City Council member Jasmine Lok Huey Yee will contest Bandar Hilir.
The party’s allocation has increased twice since BN announced its candidates on Oct 24, when MCA was initially allocated just two seats.
It subsequently secured Bandar Hilir before adding Kota Laksamana, bringing its total to four seats, compared with 7 in the 2021 election.
MCA will defend Machap Jaya and Klebang, its only victories in the 2021 election, while attempting to wrest Kota Laksamana and Bandar Hilir from DAP.
The Election Commission has fixed nomination day for Oct 31, with polling scheduled for Nov 14.