Norhizam had won the seat on a DAP ticket in the 14th general election but quit the party after the Sheraton Move, leading to the fall of the Pakatan Harapan state government.

Last month, Norhizam sprang another surprise when he and three other assemblymen withdrew their support for the Umno-led Melaka government, leading to its collapse.

Initially, there was speculation that Norhizam and the other three assemblymen – Idris Haron (Sungai Udang), Nor Azman Hassan (Pantai Kundor) and Noor Effandi Ahmad (Telok Mas) – could join PH.

However, the coalition closed the door on Norhizam and, in the end, only accepted former Umno men Idris and Nor Azman.

According to a Berita Harian report, Norhizam has decided to defend the seat as an independent, setting up a five-cornered fight in Pengkalan Batu.

The other candidates are expected to be Mohd Azrudin Md Idris (Perikatan Nasional), Kalsom Nordin (Barisan Nasional), Muhammad Danish Zainudin (DAP) and Dr Aluwi Sari (Parti Bumiputera Perkasa Malaysia).

Nomination day for the election is tomorrow.