Mustapa heads BN challenge in Kelantan

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READY TO RECAPTURE KELANTAN: Mustapa (second right) with other BN candidates in Kelantan show the 1Malaysia sign after filing their nomination forms. —Bernama photo

KOTA BAHARU: Kelantan Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed, who is heading the party’s transformation team in the 13th general election, faces two traditional foes in the Jeli parliamentary and Air Lanas state seats.

Mustapa will defend the Jeli seat which he has held since 2004 against PAS candidate Mohd Apandi Mohamad while in Air Lanas, he will be challenging another PAS candidate, Abdullah Ya’kub.

In the 1995 general election, Mustapa won the Jeli parliamentary seat, beating Zianon Abidin Ali, before losing it to Mohd Apandi in the 1999 general election.

Mustapa made a comeback in Jeli in 2004 when he won the seat with a 7,353-vote majority and retained the seat in 2008 with a 4,436-vote majority.

The International Trade and Industry Minister will challenge Abdullah in the Air Lanas state seat which he won in the 2004 general election with a majority of 799 votes.

When met by reporters, Mustapha urged the people in the state to give their mandate to BN so that the party’s leadership could give their best service to those who had been marginalised under PAS rule since 1990.

“Look at our experience and stature to lead Kelantan which badly needs to be developed in various fields,” he said.

PAS spiritual leader Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat will defend his Chempaka state seat against Wan Razman Wan Abdul Razak of BN who is also Chempaka state constituency administrator.

Nik Aziz, 82, won the seat with a majority of 4,249 votes against Nik Mohd Zain Omar of BN in the last general election.

When met by reporters, he reminded the people to be calm and not to create trouble during the election campaign.

In the Gua Musang parliamentary constituency, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah will be defending his seat in a straight fight with Datuk Wan Abdul Rahim Wan Abdullah of PAS while Ketereh Umno chief Tan Sri Annuar Musa will face incumbent Ab Aziz Ab Kadir of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) for the Ketereh parliamentary seat incumbent.

The contest for the Kota Baharu parliamentary seat will see a three-cornered fight involving the Prime Minister’s political secretary, Datuk Mohamad Fatmi Che Salleh, Takiyuddin Hassan (PAS) and independent candidate Mohd Zakiman Abu Bakar.

In a shocking development, the BN candidate for the Pasir Mas parliamentary seat, Che Johan Che Pa, did not turn up to hand in his nomination papers, making it a straight fight between incumbent Datuk Ibrahim Ali, as an independent, and Nik Abdul Nik Aziz of PAS.

Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Dr Awang Adek Husin will be in a straight fight with Ahmad Marzuk Shaary of PAS for the Bachok parliamentary seat.

In Kelantan, BN will contest all 14 parliamentary seats and 45 state seat, PAS (11 parliamentary and 40 state), and PKR (three parliamentary and five state seats). — Bernama