BAGAN DATUK, Oct 17 — Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is confident Perak can contribute at least 12 parliamentary seats for the coalition to form the federal government in the 15th General Election (GE15).

Ahmad Zahid, who is also Umno president, said those 12 seats as well as victory in other parliamentary constituencies nationwide would be crucial to strengthening BN’s performance in GE15.

"Our win (in Perak) will be very significant, so too the contributions (of parliamentary seats) from other states, including in Sabah and Sarawak,” he said at the Solidarity, Stability and Prosperity Tour launched by caretaker Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, who is also Umno vice-president, at the Bagan Datuk Umno Complex here today.

Also present were Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad, who is also the state BN chairman, MCA deputy president Mah Han Soon, MIC vice-president T. Murugiah and other Umno Division leaders from Perak.

Ahmad Zahid said BN would need to win 148 parliamentary seats for it to be a dominant government in GE15.

As such, he said the party machinery needs to work hard, including using social media platforms to fend off the opposition’s slanderous remarks.

Meanwhile, the Bagan Datuk Member of Parliament (MP) said BN would feature 70 per cent of new faces in GE15, just like it did during the state elections in Melaka and Johor.

He said BN will also field 30 per cent of women candidates as decided in the party’s resolution at the last Umno General Assembly.

Ahmad Zahid also slammed certain parties for trying to cause a rift in his relationship with Ismail Sabri.

"We have known each other for a long time... there are no PM’s people, there are no president’s people, only have BN people,” he said.

At the same function, Ahmad Zahid also presented the Perak BN oath of allegiance letters to the state’s BN component party leaders. — Bernama