KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 6 — Wanita Umno secretary Datuk Rosni Sohar today denied claims that the party’s Women’s wing chief Datuk Seri Noraini Ahmad has been asked to step down.

Nor did Noraini call for a special meeting to allegedly strongarm the Wanita state chiefs into supporting her, Rosni said in a statement.

"I would like to emphasise here as the Wanita Umno Malaysia secretary that these claims are not true at all,” she said.

She said that the support expressed by the state chiefs were of their own volition.

Besides that, she said she hopes that Wanita Umno is prepared for the upcoming state elections in Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Penang, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu.

Wanita Umno needs to focus on improving and enhancing its work in the six states, she said.

"Do not allow the [Umno internal elections] to distract from the work already done,” she cautioned.

Rosni said that there were tabloids which had published statements alleging that Wanita division leaders had called for Noraini to step down.

Last night, Berita Harian reported a woman named Azwati Abdul Halim, who was named as a Wanita Umno Titiwangsa member, as saying that Noraini has been urged to not contest her position in the internal Umno polls next month.

This was so that the Parit Sulong MP can be responsible for or correct her weaknesses in leading Wanita Umno, Azwati reportedly said.

"Why did the grassroots choose to reject Noraini? Why do 147 Wanita Umno division chiefs no longer support Noraini and want someone else as their leader?

"Noraini knows why,” she was quoted as saying.

Elections for the Umno divisions and its supreme council will be held simultaneously on March 18.

The elections for the party wings — Wanita, Youth, and Puteri — will similarly be held simultaneously but earlier, on March 11.

The Umno polls had been deferred several times, initially due to the Covid-19 pandemic and later due to the 15th general election last year.