BN chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said it was a must for its alliance with Pakatan Harapan to include Sabah parties, but their negotiations were not limited to GRS.

“This is a must because we recognise that a combination of national political parties and state-based political parties needs to become a reality.

“But it’s not just GRS. We are open to holding negotiations with other (local) political parties in Sabah,” he said at a press conference here.

The Umno president said he has held many discussions with GRS, but did not reveal further details on these meetings.

“Although we have not finalised the grand coalition for the state polls, we are definitely exploring several possibilities under the BN-PH-Plus alliance.

“We should not be confined to just one or two coalitions,” he said.

On Friday, GRS threatened to contest the state election on its own, after PH and BN announced a pact, with GRS chairman Hajiji Noor stating that local Sabah parties should be the backbone and head of the state government.

However, PH chairman Anwar Ibrahim expressed optimism that the three coalitions would be able to reach an electoral agreement.