Johor PN chairman Dr Sahruddin Jamal said the list of names was sent to the coalition’s central leadership after a meeting was held in Seremban on Thursday.

“The shortlisted candidates are from Bersatu, PAS and Gerakan. Bersatu and PAS submitted three names each for the Simpang Jeram state seat, while all three parties had three names each for the Pulai parliamentary seat,” he said today.

Sahruddin said the potential candidates were a mix of old and new faces, selected based on several criteria, including being clean, active party members or community leaders.

“Johor PN leaves it to the wisdom of the central leadership to decide on the most suitable candidates,” Sahruddin, who is also Johor Bersatu chairman, said.

Meanwhile, Johor Pakatan Harapan (PH) has set up an election main committee for the by-elections. In a statement today, Johor PH said the committee will be headed by state Amanah chairman Aminolhuda Hassan.

“Johor PH is not taking these two by-elections lightly. We will fine-tune our strategies to ensure wins for both seats.

“At the same time, discussions with Johor Barisan Nasional (BN) are also ongoing,” he said.

The by-elections were called following the death of Amanah deputy president Salahuddin Ayub on July 23.

Salahuddin, 61, who was the domestic trade and cost of living minister, died at Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital in Alor Setar a day after undergoing surgery for brain haemorrhage.

Nominations are slated for Aug 26, while early voting is on Sept 5.