According to polls by Ayer Kuning, BN will name its candidate a week before the selection day

It is likely that Barisan Nasional will choose its candidate for the by-election in Ayer Kuning a week before the selection day.

The head of Barisan, Datuk Seri Dr. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, said that the candidate was chosen from a list of six names sent in by Tapah Umno, with input from the state liaison committee.

He told the press at a news conference after today’s Ihya’ Ramadan Al-Mubarak Program, “I hope this candidate meets the standards that the people of Ayer Kuning and Tapah expect so that we can repeat our success in previous by-elections.”

When asked about how Barisan and Pakatan Harapan would work together for the by-election, Ahmad Zahid, who is also Deputy Prime Minister and head of Umno, said that the leadership of Barisan and Pakatan as well as different parties within Barisan had come to an agreement.

“(MIC deputy president and Tapah MP) Datuk Seri M. Saravanan and MCA state leaders have contacted me, and I have discussed with the war room committee at the national level regarding the groundwork,” said he.

The Ayer Kuning by-election takes place on April 26. Nominations will be accepted on April 12, and early voting will begin on April 22.

The governor, Ishsam Shahruddin, 58, died of a heart attack after a football game in George Town, Penang, on February 22. This is why there is a by-election.

Since 2018, Ishsam had been the leader of Tapah Umno. In the 15th General Election in November 2022, he won the Ayer Kuning seat with a majority of 2,213 votes, beating five other candidates.

On Monday, Ahmad Zahid, who is also an MP for Bagan Datuk, gave aid to more than 1,000 people through the Ceria ke Sekolah 2025 project and the Bagan Datuk Asnaf Contribution Program. Bernama