KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 29 — Johor Parti Pejuang Tanah Air deputy chairman Nornekman Osman reportedly said that Gerakan Tanah Air (GTA) is eyeing 18 Malay-majority parliamentary seats in the state for the 15th general elections (GE15).

He told The Star yesterday that the coalition was hoping to gain the approval on the number of seats it would be contesting from its leadership as soon as possible, with nomination day (November 5) looming.

"In Johor, there are 26 parliamentary seats, but we will not be contesting in all those seats. Our target is to contest in areas where the (proportion of) Malay voters are more than 50 per cent.

"This means we are targeting to contest in 18 parliamentary seats, especially those located in the western and eastern sides of Johor,” he was quoted as saying.

Johor Pejuang has also been handed the responsibility of managing the coalition component parties which are contesting in the state, he reportedly added.

The candidates being fielded will include fresh faces who have been active in non-governmental organisations, he reportedly revealed.

Besides that, he reportedly did not rule out the possibility of GTA fielding a high-profile candidate among the hoped-for 18 parliamentary seats.

"There are some big names that we are talking to, but we will let the party leadership decide,” he was quoted as saying.