PASIR GUDANG, Oct 15 — Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin will leave it to the party leadership to decide on candidates to contest in the 15th General Election (GE15).

The former Pasir Gudang MP, who did not deny that his name was listed among five candidates for the Pasir Gudang parliamentary seat, said the process of determining the candidates is still ongoing.

"At the moment, Pasir Gudang Umno division has put forward my name and several others... so I leave it to the party leadership to make a decision.

"(However), Umno is in the process of determining the candidates but it is not finalised,” he told reporters after officiating the Pasir Gudang Umno Division meeting today.

Apart from the Pasir Gudang parliamentary seat, the media also reported that the former Johor Menteri Besar was also named among candidates for the Kota Tinggi parliamentary seat.

In GE14, Mohamed Khaled, then the Johor Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman and state Umno Liaison Committee chairman, lost the Pasir Gudang parliamentary seat in a four-cornered fight to Pakatan Harapan’s Hassan Abdul Karim (PKR), who won with a majority of 24,726 votes.

Mohamed Khaled, the former Higher Education Minister, also failed to defend his Permas state seat, which was won by Datuk Seri Che Zakaria Mohd Salleh (PKR) who garnered a majority of 8,746 votes

Meanwhile in PERLIS, Arau Umno Division chief Datuk Seri Dr Shahidan Kassim expressed his readiness to defend the Arau parliamentary seat that he had won during the GE14, if chosen as a candidate for the GE15.

"State Umno liaison committee chairman Datuk Seri Azlan Man said he had submitted the names of candidates proposed by each division and it is up to the leadership to decide who will be chosen to represent BN in the GE15," he said when met after the Malaysian Family Appreciation ceremony at Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP) today.

In the GE14, Shahidan who is also the Federal Territories Minister defeated PKR candidate Datuk Dr. Abd Rahman Daud and PAS spiritual leader Datuk Hashim Jasin by a 4,856 vote majority.

In KELANTAN, Umno Youth Chief, Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki will also leave it to the party leadership to determine the candidates eligible to represent the party in the GE15, adding that his name was among the five candidates proposed for the Pasir Puteh Parliamentary seat.

"We will not know if we are contesting until we have received the letter of appointment,” he said when met after the Pasir Puteh Umno Divison meeting today.

In the GE14, there was a three-cornered fight for the Pasir Puteh Parliamentary seat and Asyraf Wajdi lost to PAS candidate Datuk Dr Nik Muhamad Zawawi Salleh who won with a 1,360 vote majority. — Bernama