Shahrizat denies speculation of her contesting in Bandar Tun Razak

PETALING JAYA: Wanita Umno chief Tan Sri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil has confirmed that she will not be contesting in the Bandar Tun Razak parliament seat in the upcoming 14th General Election despite being speculated earlier.
In a Facebook post, Shahrizat, who was a former cabinet minister, stressed that she would not be taking the offer for a parliament comeback despite noting that the Bandar Tun Razak was a winnable seat for Barisan Nasional (BN).
"Many had asked me whether I will accept the offer to contest in Bandar Tun Razak parliament seat," she said.
"My answer is no, despite Bandar Tun Razak is an area where BN can win by defeating PKR," she added.
Newsportal Malaysiakini had in last week quoted various Umno sources as confirming that Shahrizat would be making her comeback by contesting in Bandar Tun Razak.
Bandar Tun Razak is an MCA seat by tradition, but it was understood that Umno would be fielding its candidate in GE14 there due to the strong Malay presence in the constituency, which made up more than 50% of the total electoral.
The seat was won by former Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Abd Khalid Ibrahim in the previous general election in 2013. Abdul Khalid was sacked from his party PKR a year later, rendering the seat independent.
It was rumoured that Shahrizat would be fielded as a candidate by Umno in the upcoming elections after 10 years of electoral hiatus following her defeat in GE12.
Shahrizat was the MP for Lembah Pantai since 1995 until she was defeated by PKR's newcomer Nurul Izzah Anwar in 2008.