He said a BN win on Aug 17 would boost the presence of the opposition to ensure better oversight of the administration of the state, Bernama reported.

“Our main aim is to introduce another opposition representative to provide more effective checks and balances. We know that the outcome of the Nenggiri by-election will not alter the government in Kelantan.

“Therefore, there’s no harm in adding another representative who can speak for the people, particularly those from Gua Musang, where many residents are facing numerous land-related issues.

“This check and balance vote is crucial, and it is one of the key messages we want to convey to the voters, ” he was quoted as saying after officiating the Kulai Umno division representative meeting in Johor yesterday.

Commenting on the absence of DAP in the Nenggiri by-election campaign, Asyraf said it was because the party did not have a branch in the state constituency. However, he said DAP would still support BN in other ways.

“The campaign doesn’t necessarily require their physical presence. As DAP secretary-general Loke Siew Fook mentioned to me, they will also help,” he said.

In the state election in August last year, Perikatan Nasional won 43 of the 45 state assembly seats contested, while BN and Pakatan Harapan  secured one seat each.

The Nenggiri by-election is being held following the vacancy announcement by Kelantan assembly speaker Amar Nik Abdullah on June 19 after receiving a notice from Bersatu that former assemblyman Azizi Abu Naim had ceased to be a member of the party on June 13.

BN won the Nenggiri seat for four consecutive elections since 2004 before losing it to PN in last year’s state election, when Azizi defeated Umno’s Ab Aziz Yussof with a majority of 810 votes.