KUALA LUMPUR, June 29 — Umno is gunning for the Hulu Kelang seat in the upcoming Selangor state polls, Malaysiakini reported today.

The news portal quoting an unnamed source it claimed to be close to Umno president Datuk Seri Zahid Hamid saying the Barisan Nasional (BN) party has managed to negotiate for the seat that was previously held by Amanah's three-term assemblyman Saari Sungib, making it 11 out of the 56 seats that make up the Selangor legislative assembly.

"We have got one more seat, Hulu Kelang,” the source was quoted as saying.

However, the news portal also reported several other insiders from both BN and Pakatan Harapan (PH), who indicated that it is not a done deal as alleged by the first source.

Saari, who has been reported saying he won’t be defending the seat due to health issues, told Malaysiakini that his daughter Anfaal Saari has been nominated as a candidate.

"Anfaal is among the three names submitted by Gombak Amanah to the Selangor party leadership. I learnt that Selangor has also sent Anfaal's name (for Hulu Kelang) to the central leadership.

"From the three, two others are men. But based on seniority, Anfaal is far more senior than them,” Saari was quoted as saying.

Anfaal, 44, is an Ampang Jaya Municipal Council councillor and also vice-chief of Amanah’s women’s wing as well as its head in the Gombak chapter.

Amanah communications director Datuk Seri Khalid Samad and Selangor Umno deputy liaison chairman Datuk Johan Abdul Aziz told the news portal that nothing had been finalised yet in the Selangor state election candidates, including fort Hulu Kelang.

Saari, the Selangor Amanah Number Two, has previously been reported to have Parkinson's disease and would not be seeking re-election.

He has claimed that his illness could be linked to his two-year detention under the Internal Security Act 1960 some 20 years ago.

Saari was detained twice — first for 15 days in October 1998 and then for over two years from 2001 until 2003.

The controversial Act had allowed for detention without trial and was abolished in 2012.

Saari, who first won the seat in 2008 under Islamist party PAS, held the Hulu Kelang seat in 2013 and later 2018 when he left PAS to form Amanah.

In 2018, Saari won with a 15,349-vote majority over BN candidate Ismail Ahmad.

BN is now part of the Selangor state government with PH, mirroring its federal arrangement.