KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 3 — Barisan Nasional will not field incumbent Tan Sri Noh Omar to defend his Tanjung Karang seat, Datuk Seri Zambry Kadir announced tonight.

Instead, the BN secretary-general said the coalition will field Wanita Umno central committee member Habibah Mohd Yusof in place of the Selangor BN chief, who has held Tanjung Karang since winning it in 1995.

Noh’s name was not among the list of candidates that BN chairman Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi unveiled on Tuesday, prompting rumours that the veteran leader has been dropped.

Aside from Noh’s replacement, Zambry also announced that former PAS leaders Datuk Mohd Khairuddin Aman Razali and Datuk Che Abdullah Mat Nawi will defend Kuala Nerus and Tumpat for BN, respectively.

"Of these seven constituencies, two — Tumpat and Kuala Nerus — will witness BN presenting two direct candidates, in the spirit of openness and unity,” Zambry said in a statement.

Khairuddin and Che Abdullah’s candidacy appear to be payback for the two men’s support for Umno when PAS first began leaning towards Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia.

Khairuddin had been a vocal advocate for the continuation of the Muafakat Nasional pact between Umno and PAS, before any chance of this ended when PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang committed his party to Perikatan Nasional and Bersatu.

The others named today included Adnan Abu Hassan in Kuala Pilah, Shamsulkahar Mohd Deli in Jempol, MIC’s A. Kohilan Pillay in Batu, and MCA’s Datuk Chew Yin Keen in Bandar Tun Razak.

The seven additional candidates brought BN’s total for the 15th general election to 178 across the country except for Sarawak.