ALOR STAR: Perikatan Nasional (PN) election director Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor has acknowledged the uphill battle for the coalition to wrest Pelangai from Barisan Nasional (BN) in the Oct 7 by-election.
However, Sanusi said he is still upbeat on PN's chances to spring a surprise in the BN fortress based on the nationwide wave of support for the coalition.
"We do acknowledge that Pelangai is an Umno stronghold. Before this, it was held by Tok Nan (former Pahang menteri besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob).
"However, we have confidence that the rise of PN wave nationwide will hit Pelangai. It is not subsiding, in fact it is getting stronger. It is not impossible.
"Even Johor used to be an Umno stronghold but it is getting weaker," Sanusi, who is also Kedah Menteri Besar told reporters after the swearing-in session of the speaker and all of Kedah's 36 elected representatives for the 15th state legislative assembly at Wisma Darul Aman here today.
Commenting further, Sanusi said as the PN's election director, he has to inject confidence among the party machinery on its chances of wresting Pelangai from BN.
"As the election director, I need to have confidence. I can't be telling my machinery that I don't know about our chances.
"As the field commander, I must have confidence so that the machinery will work hard to achieve victory," he said.
The Pelangai state seat by-election will see a three-cornered fight between BN's Datuk Amizar Abu Adam, PN candidate Kasim Samat and independent Haslihelmy DM Zulhasli.
BN had retained Pelangai state seat in the 15th General Election held in November via Datuk Johari Harun.
He won the seat in a four-cornered battle by 4,048 majority after securing 7,308 votes.
Johari was killed in an aircraft crash in Bandar Elmina, Shah Alam, on Aug 17 paving way for the by-election.