KUALA LUMPUR, March 27 (Bernama) -- Barisan Nasional's (BN) chances of winning back the Hulu Selangor parliamentary seat from Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) are very bright, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
Najib, who is also Umno president and BN chairman, said he believed the situation in the constituency had changed since the 2008 general election (GE).
"BN can win. However, we have to be focused and show commitment to work hard in order to win," Najib told reporters after chairing a meeting of Umno's supreme council at Menara Dato Onn here Friday night.
The Election Commission will meet next Friday to decide the dates for nomination and polling for the by-election in the constituency.
The Hulu Selangor seat fell vacant following the death of its member of parliament Dr Zainal Abidin Ahmad of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) due to brain cancer Thursday.
Zainal, 71, who was a former menteri besar of Selangor when he was in the BN and joined PKR in 2005, defeated the BN's Datuk G. Palanivel by a slim majority of 198 votes in the last general election in 2008.
Palanivel, who is MIC deputy chairman, was also Women, Family and Community Development deputy minister then.
Najib said the BN election machinery had been activated with Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin appointed to lead the BN campaign while Selangor Umno deputy liason chief Datuk Seri Noh Omar would be the election director and assisted by Hulu Selangor Umno chief Datuk Idris Bakar.
On MIC's request for its candidate to be fielded for the seat, Najib said he would be discussing it with MIC president Datuk Seri S.Samy Vellu before making any decision.
The constituency has 63,000 voters, 51 per cent Malays, 26 per cent Chinese and 19 per cent Indians besides about 1,000 Orang Asli voters.
The three state seats in it - Hulu Bernam, Batang Kali and Kuala Kubu Baharu - were all won by the BN in the 2008 GE.
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