“Everyone needs to take responsibility for the defeat because there are other factors involved besides the lack of appeal to the youths,” she told FMT, referring to a statement by Umno Supreme Council member Nur Jazlan Mohamed.

Nurul said the Puteri wing had tirelessly campaigned in all six states, actively engaging the grassroots and going door-to-door to explain the collaboration between Umno and DAP.

However, the close proximity between the 15th general election (GE15) and the six state polls saw Perikatan Nasional manipulating sentiments as it used recycled themes from GE15, she said.

“At that time (GE15), every party attacked Umno. Not a single one refrained from attacking Umno, be it DAP, PKR, Bersatu, or PAS – they did not attack any other party,” Nurul said.

Yesterday, Nur Jazlan attributed Umno’s poor state polls performance to the party’s failure to connect with grassroots and the youth wings’ inability to garner support from young voters.

The former Pulai MP raised questions over young Umno leaders’ efforts to attract youngsters.

Umno, the sole party representing Barisan Nasional, secured only 19 seats in Kelantan, Negeri Sembilan, Selangor and Penang. It failed to win a single seat in Terengganu and Kedah. The party contested a total of 108 seats in the six states.

Nurul said everyone should refrain from pointing fingers as the party was currently facing turmoil.

“I’m glad that many care for Umno, but when facing defeat or challenges, we cannot blame anyone. What’s important is to stand united and gradually rebuild the party from its roots,” Nurul said.

Meanwhile, Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Salleh urged Nur Jazlan to attend the wing’s post-mortem meeting scheduled for tomorrow to better understand its efforts during the state polls.

“Sometimes, when we speak, we don’t realise that we are not grounded in reality, and that is one of the reasons for our defeat,” he said.