Its chief Azman Ahmad said the proposed candidates are locals and part of the party leadership in the area.

“We are still hopeful that our candidate will be chosen because, based on the feedback, voters no longer want to support Bersatu,” he told FMT.

Azman had earlier expressed hope that Bersatu would step aside and allow PAS to contest the seat, citing concerns among voters that elected representatives might switch parties if a Bersatu candidate is fielded.

He said the Nenggiri incumbent, Azizi Abu Naim, had undermined voter confidence by declaring his support for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s administration.

However, Kelantan Bersatu chief Kamaruddin Nor said the PAS division should officially notify the top Perikatan Nasional (PN) leadership if it wished to contest the Nenggiri seat.

Meanwhile, Azman said that the PAS logo would be more suitable for use in Kelantan, as people are more enthusiastic about the party’s “moon symbol” than the PN logo.

“In my opinion, using the moon symbol is more fitting in Gua Musang because when the locals here see the moon logo, it immediately lifts their spirits,” he said.

“With the PN logo, they don’t feel the same excitement.”

Bersatu information chief Razali Idris had suggested that it was time to use the PN logo beginning with the Nenggiri by-election, saying the public had become familiar with the coalition’s components.

In the state election last August, PN, using the PAS banner, won 43 state seats in Kelantan while the Barisan Harapan-Pakatan Harapan coalition managed to secure only two seats: Galas and Kota Lama.