PETALING JAYA: Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh has hinted at leaving Merlimau to contest another seat in the Nov 14 Melaka state election.
In a Facebook post, Akmal expressed gratitude to voters in Merlimau for electing him in the 2021 state polls, giving him his first term in office.
"Where to next? Would it be feasible for me to go to Serkam or Sungai Rambai? Or are there other suggestions?" he said.
Sungai Rambai and Serkam are Umno strongholds that have never left the party's grasp, although Barisan Nasional (BN) retained the latter with a very slim majority in 2021.
BN won Serkam in a four-cornered race, beating the Perikatan Nasional candidate by 79 votes while the Pakatan Harapan and independent candidates trailed far behind.
Akmal was elected Merlimau assemblyman in 2021 with a majority of 3,248 votes, retaining the Umno stronghold for BN.
The Umno firebrand was later appointed a member of the state executive council, overseeing health, before he was moved to the rural development, agriculture and food security portfolios in 2023.
Akmal was also elected Umno Youth chief in 2023, defeating three contenders for the post.