Hopes of seeing Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar make a political comeback in the Negeri Sembilan state election have been dashed after the former Rembau MP was left out of Barisan Nasional’s (BN) list of candidates.
Khairy’s name was absent when BN unveiled its candidates for the Negeri Sembilan state election on Wednesday night, ending weeks of speculation that he would contest the Gemas state seat and potentially emerge as the coalition’s choice for Menteri Besar.
The former Youth and Sports Minister and Health Minister had been widely tipped as one of BN’s strongest assets, with many viewing him as a leader capable of attracting younger voters and steering Negeri Sembilan if the coalition returns to power.
Speculation over his candidacy intensified after he rejoined the UMNO family in April and returned to active politics, including campaigning for BN during the recent Johor state election.
Despite the growing anticipation, Khairy has never contested a state assembly seat throughout his political career. Instead, he won the Rembau parliamentary seat in the 2008, 2013 and 2018 general elections.
In the 2022 general election, he vacated the Rembau seat to make way for BN deputy chairman Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan before contesting Sungai Buloh, where he was defeated by Pakatan Harapan candidate Datuk R. Ramanan.
Khairy had previously said he was more comfortable serving as part of BN’s campaign machinery for the Negeri Sembilan election rather than standing as a candidate, although he stressed he would abide by whatever decision the party leadership made.
For the upcoming state election, BN will contest 25 of the 36 State Legislative Assembly (DUN) seats, fielding 16 candidates from UMNO, seven from MCA and two from MIC.
Negeri Sembilan BN chairman Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan and Negeri Sembilan UMNO chairman Datuk Seri Jalaluddin Alias will both defend their respective seats in Rantau and Pertang.
Ten other incumbent UMNO assemblymen have also been retained, while Datuk Ismail Lasim has been moved from Senaling to Juasseh after the incumbent for Juasseh, Datuk Bibi Sharliza Mohd Khalid, was dropped from the line-up.
BN has also introduced three new UMNO candidates: Mohamad Qayyum Abd Jalil (Senaling), Siti Nur Umaira Hasim (Labu) and S Leza Md Yasin (Pilah).
