BN claims lead in 48 Johor state seats as unofficial results continue to come in
JOHOR BAHRU: Barisan Nasional (BN) was leading in 48 Johor state constituencies based on unofficial vote tallies as counting continued on Saturday night, according to UMNO secretary-general Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki.
In a Facebook post, Asyraf Wajdi said that as of 8.09pm, BN was ahead in 49 of the 56 state seats being contested, while Pakatan Harapan (PH) was leading in seven seats. Perikatan Nasional (PN) and Bersama had yet to register a lead in any constituency at the time of his update.
The latest unofficial figures indicate that BN has crossed the threshold required to form the Johor state government, with only 29 seats needed to secure a simple majority. A two-thirds majority requires control of at least 39 seats.
Earlier, BN chairman Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi also expressed confidence that the coalition had surpassed the 40-seat mark based on preliminary counting.
Among the constituencies where BN held commanding early leads were Tiram, Layang-Layang, Pekan Nanas, Johor Lama, Tenggaroh, Sungai Balang, Serom, Sri Medan, Bekok, Mahkota, Buloh Kasap, Paloh and Yong Peng.
BN was also reported to be leading in Bukit Kepong, where PN had won the seat in the 2022 Johor election, indicating a potential gain for the coalition if the trend is maintained.
Several seats remained closely contested between BN and PH, including Johor Jaya, Jementah, Bukit Permai, Mengkibol and Tangkak, with unofficial results showing fluctuating margins as vote counting progressed.
Meanwhile, PH maintained strong leads in several urban constituencies, including Bentayan, Perling, Skudai, Stulang, Penggaram and Puteri Wangsa.
In Bentayan, PH continued to hold a comfortable advantage over BN, while Maszlee Malik was reported to be leading the contest in Puteri Wangsa.
The atmosphere at BN’s operations centre in Johor Bahru grew increasingly upbeat as party leaders monitored the incoming unofficial results, while celebrations began among supporters following claims that the coalition was on course for a decisive victory.
Asyraf Wajdi also claimed that BN had recorded strong performances across military voting channels, although official constituency-level figures had yet to be released.
The figures cited remain unofficial and are subject to change pending the completion of vote counting and the formal declaration of results by the Election Commission (EC).
