Zaid said Anwar’s commitment to Kelantan’s development and his advocacy for the Palestinian cause have boosted his support among the Malay voters in the state.

He also cited the salary hike for civil servants and the introduction of ATMs in the area as other contributing factors to the Nenggiri victory.

“The long and short result is this – if the leader can be generous with development and handouts and keeps reminding the Malays about their Islamic struggles in any way, the leader will be accepted.

“It does not matter much about other issues like reforms, or change, or promises in the manifesto,” he said in a post on X.

Last night, BN reclaimed the Nenggiri state seat when its candidate, Azmawi Fikri Abdul Ghani, won by a majority of 3,352 votes in a straight fight against Perikatan Nasional’s  Rizwadi Ismail.

A combination of keeping DAP away from the campaign trail and PN’s “wrong candidate” also reportedly played a key role in BN’s win.

FMT reported that the result could restore some confidence in Zahid, who faced strong calls to resign after BN’s poor performance in last year’s state elections and the 2022 general election.

Zaid, who did not anticipate BN’s success, further suggested the results in Nenggiri highlighted that the PAS-Bersatu alliance is weakening without power and resources.

“Their strong performance was during the days when Muhyiddin (Yassin) was prime minister.

“They have nothing to offer now except to lament why they were not chosen to form the government in the first place,” he said, referring to Muhyiddin’s remarks during the Nenggiri by-election campaign.

It is believed that Muhyiddin had questioned the authority of the previous Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Al-Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, during a speech.

He allegedly claimed to have the support of 115 MPs after the 2022 general election and should have been called by the king to be appointed as the 10th prime minister.

His remarks have prompted police reports to be lodged by Umno Youth wings in Pekan, Pahang, and others.