MELAKA (Nov 20): Barisan Nasional (BN) achieved a landslide victory on Saturday night in the Melaka State election, securing a two-thirds majority.

The coalition of UMNO, MCA and MIC captured 21 of the 28 seats contested while Pakatan Harapan (PH) won five seats and Perikatan Nasional (PN) took two seats.

Parti Bumiputra Perkasa Malaysia (Putra), which contested in five seats, and Parti Periktan India Muslim Nasional (IMAN), which contested in one seat, as well as all the 22 Independent candidates did not win any seat.

The last time BN won Melaka with a two-thirds majority was in the 12th General Election (GE12) in 2008, when it won 23 seats.

All the four Assemblymen who withdrew their support for Chief Minister Datuk Seri Sulaiman Mohd Ali and triggered the election also lost.

Apart from retaining 12 of the 13 seats it won in the 14th General Election (GE14), BN added nine more seats — Rembia, Kelebang, Machap Jaya, Telok Mas, Pengkalan Batu, Gadek, Durian Tunggal, Paya Rumput and Duyong.

The 13 seats won by BN in GE14 were Kuala Linggi, Tanjung Bidara, Ayer Limau, Lendu, Taboh Naning, Asahan, Sungai Udang, Pantai Kundor, Ayer Molek, Rim, Serkam, Merlimau and Sungai Rambai.

This time around, BN lost Sungai Udang, which used to be its "fixed deposit".

In GE14, Rembia was won by Datuk Muhammad Jailani Khamis on a PH ticket but he later left PKR to become an Independent Assemblyman before joining UMNO in January this year.

In this election, UMNO contested in 20 seats — Kuala Linggi, Tanjung Bidara, Ayer Limau, Lendu, Taboh Naning, Rembia, Durian Tunggal, Asahan, Sungai Udang, Pantai Kundor, Paya Rumput, Pengkalan Batu, Bukit Katil, Ayer Molek, Duyong, Telok Mas, Rim, Serkam, Merlimau and Sungai Rambai.