Anwar's alliance aims to recapture Kelantan seat in by-election

Defeating the opposition will show that the premier can win back Malay voters' support

Malaysia An upcoming by-election battle in a remote Kelantan constituency is being closely tracked in Malaysia, with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's governing alliance aiming to recapture the seat and show he can win back Malay voters.

The Nenggiri ward is located beside the Taman Negara rainforest park and surrounded by beautiful, lush green limestone hills.

It is some three hours by road from both the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur and Kota Bharu, the Kelantan state capital.

At the close of nominations on Aug 3, the Election Commission declared that the contest will be between a local leader from Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia and an Umno chieftain.

Voting will take place on Aug 17 and follows a 14-day campaigning period.

Bersatu is a member of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) federal opposition, while Umno leads the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition that backs Datuk Seri Anwar.

BN is aiming to put up a spirited fight to win back the state seat as Nenggiri was won by PN in the 2023 state polls by only 810 votes, with more than 20,000 ballots cast.

Analyst Bridget Welsh told The Sunday Times that BN has a chance to regain its former stronghold if it can come up with new campaign methods."I favour a PN win, although this is a winnable seat for BN if it is able to swing a small share of voters and bring back its traditional voters to vote," said the honorary research associate at the University of Nottingham Asia Research InstituteMalaysia.

"However, this depends on the campaign and whether BN offers an innovative campaign. For now, if trends continue, PN should have a marginal increase in support," Dr Welsh added.