Azalina said the suggestion was not an official stance of the party although she is the Umno information chief and sits on the Supreme Council, Sinar Harian reported.

She said she did not commit any wrongdoing as Umno members were allowed to air their views.

“I was responding to a hypothetical situation.

“This is my view as an Umno member and not an official stance by Umno or Barisan Nasional,” she was quoted as saying.

In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Azalina said she wondered if it was time for Umno to contest under its own logo in future polls or continue to contest under the BN banner.

Her post led to MCA vice-president Ti Lian Ker criticising Azalina, saying that she should not be making such remarks publicly and that the matter should be discussed among BN component parties.

Ti said that while it was possible that Azalina was merely sharing her personal opinion, “it would be better if she just maintained decorum and discussed the matter internally.”

MIC vice-president T Mohan, meanwhile, said Umno was free to contest on its own ticket in any election if that would boost the party’s chances of winning.

He was quoted by Berita Harian as saying that MIC had no objections to the proposal, especially if it involved contesting in Malay-majority seats.