He said such claims, which have been circulating on social media, were baseless and mere provocation, Utusan Malaysia reported.

Jalaluddin, who is also the Negeri Sembilan Umno chairman, said all of the party’s elected representatives were bound by an agreement and a RM100 million bond.

“Umno’s party constitution was amended on Jan 13, 2023 to prevent MPs from acting against party decisions, including joining any political alliance to support an individual as prime minister.

“This also includes signing agreements to form coalitions with opposition parties that go against the party’s stance,” he was quoted as saying after an event in his constituency yesterday.

Jalaluddin added that speculation about the alleged defection of 14 MPs from Umno had been repeatedly raised by certain parties for some time.

Umno has a total of 26 MPs in the Dewan Rakyat. They represent seven parliamentary constituencies in Johor, six in Sabah, five each in Pahang and Negeri Sembilan, two in Perak, and one in Kuala Lumpur.