PETALING JAYA: Pakatan Harapan's objective in the Melaka polls is to add to the five seats it previously held in the state assembly, rather than win the state election, says state chairman Adly Zahari.
Adly said PH acknowledged it would be a mammoth task to regain control of the Melaka government, Utusan Malaysia reported.
"That's why our focus in Melaka is to add to our number of seats, not to regain power in the state," said the Melaka PH chief.
In the 2021 Melaka polls, BN won 21 seats, while PH garnered five and Perikatan Nasional two.
Adly said there was always the possibility that the state election would result in a hung state assembly, forcing the formation of a coalition government, similar to the federal administration.
The Amanah vice-president said Umno appeared aware of this fact, judging by its decision to form an electoral pact with PAS for the state polls.
The two-term Bukit Katil assemblyman said it was therefore crucial for PH to win about 30% of the Malay vote to emerge victorious in several key battlegrounds.
"If we only garner 20% of Malay votes, we may only be able to add a few seats.
"However, if we fail to even reach 20%, we risk losing some of the seats we won previously," said Adly, who acknowledged that his Bukit Katil seat was also "at risk".
Adly is seeking a third term as assemblyman for Bukit Katil, a mixed seat where 65% of the electorate are Malays, followed by Chinese (29.7%) and Indians (4.26%).
He first won the seat with a 3,159-vote majority in 2018 before retaining it for a second term in 2021, albeit with a slimmer majority of 1,057 votes.
'No need for poster boy'
Adly, a former Melaka chief minister, also said there was no need for PH to name a poster boy for the state polls, adding that the coalition has never discussed the matter.
He said PH's strategy this time around is for each candidate to fully focus on their respective constituencies.
"It's no use having a poster boy who cannot win or defend his seat," he said.
Adly served as chief minister from 2018 to 2020, when he was ousted following the collapse of the PH-led administration at the state and federal levels.