KUALA LANGAT: Umno has shortlisted several candidates to contest the Mahkota by-election on Sept 28.
Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani said the party leadership will announce the candidate to defend the Umno state assembly seat soon.
The seat was left vacant following the death of its assemblyman Datuk Sharifah Azizah Syed Zain who was also Umno Kluang Wanita chief.
He added that two to three names had been submitted for consideration, but refrained from providing further details, saying that the announcement would be made by the BN chairman or the BN Johor chairman.
Johari, who is also plantation and commodities minister, was responding to questions about the Mahkota by-election, during an event at the Seri Morib Palm Oil Mill in Banting, where a new RT-Eco technology demo unit for treating palm oil industry effluent was launched.
The candidate for the Mahkota state seat is expected to be announced next week.
On Umno's preparations, Johari said it was important to not take any seat for granted.
"The political dynamics in our country have changed and no party can take victory for granted.
"Whether the majority is large, small, or moderate, no one can guarantee a repeat victory.
"Therefore, the most important thing is that the party will approach the Mahkota campaign with the intensity of a general election," he said.
In the 2022 Johor state election, the late Sharifah won the Mahkota seat with a majority of 5,166 votes in a four-way contest.
The Election Commission has set Sept 14 for candidate nominations and Sept 28 for polling in the Mahkota by-election.