“The decision was reached through mutual negotiations and in the interests of both sides, after reviewing the findings of studies which showed that it would be better to allocate the seats to the party with greater potential to win.

“Both sides agreed to hand the seats to MCA. This gives MCA two additional seats, bringing its total to four and BN’s overall tally to 23,” he told reporters after attending the Tanjung Bidara State Constituency’s Hi-Tea Jalinan Muhibah programme in Masjid Tanah here today.

Dismissing claims that the last-minute decision was prompted by political pressure from MCA, Ab Rauf said the matter did not arise as the understanding had been reached amicably.

He said BN’s maturity as a coalition, built on a strong relationship spanning more than seven decades, had enabled seat allocation issues to be resolved through consultation and a family-like approach.

“There is no need to debate this because we have resolved it through a family-oriented approach, and our sense of togetherness has lasted more than 70 years,” he said.

Nominations take place tomorrow, with early voting on Nov 10 and polling on Nov 14.  

For updates on the state election, visit https://election.bernama.com/prn/melaka/2026/

-- BERNAMA