KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 13 — Kelantan Bersatu has decided to drop its planned election petition to challenge Barisan Nasional’s (BN) victory in the Nenggiri by-election last August 17, news portal Free Malaysia Today reported this morning.

Kelantan Bersatu chief Datuk Kamarudin Nor said the party will now focus on strengthening its position and preparing to reclaim the seat in the next state election, which must be held by 2028.

"We have decided not to proceed with the election petition against the relevant parties regarding the Nenggiri by-election.

"We want to focus on strengthening the party and leadership for the coming election,” he was quoted as saying.

His latest remarks is a departure from what his previous announcement that the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition will gather evidence to prove its claim that BN had bribed and intimidated voters during the campaign period leading up to the August 17 poll.

The party has until February next year to file the election petition, which is within six months of the by-election.

Umno had dismissed the allegations at the time, calling them a "gimmick” to distract from PN’s loss.

BN candidate Azmawi Fikri Abdul Ghani defeated Rizwadi Ismail of Bersatu, who contested under the PN banner, with a majority of 3,352 votes.

The victory reversed BN’s loss to PN during the 2022 state assembly election, where PN won the seat by a margin of 810 votes.

The by-election was triggered after the Kelantan assembly speaker declared the seat vacant, following Bersatu’s decision to expel its incumbent assemblyman, Azizi Abu Naim, for supporting Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Azizi, who also serves as Gua Musang MP, won the Nenggiri seat for Bersatu in the August 12, 2023 state election.