He said this is based on PAS’ decision to continue working with Perikatan Nasional (PN), breaking the agreement on seat distribution under Muafakat Nasional (MN).

Noh said that under the agreement, any seat won by an Umno or PAS candidate in the last general election (GE14) would be contested by a candidate from the same party in GE15.

“As PAS is in PN, we can no longer apply this agreement but it remains subject to the decision of MN’s top leadership,” Utusan Malaysia quoted him as saying.

Last month, Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said MN was on its last legs and that Umno leaders would soon discuss the fate of the alliance with PAS.

However, PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said MN remained intact unless Umno officially declared its dissolution, which the party had yet to do.

As per the agreement in Selangor, a seat won on an Umno ticket in GE14 must be returned to be contested by the party in GE15 if the MP left to join Bersatu.

Meanwhile, Noh, who is also the entrepreneur development and cooperatives minister, said the notion that Selangor Umno took a counter-productive approach by continuing to cooperate with PAS was misplaced.

He said his division abided by the decision of Umno’s top leadership and was awaiting a final decision on MN.