Party secretary-general Loke Siew Fook said DAP also intends to contest the Tanjung Aru seat, in line with the party’s target of contesting between eight and 10 seats in the election, Bernama reported.

“We are still negotiating with our coalition partners in Pakatan Harapan, Barisan Nasional and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah. We hope to increase the number of state seats allocated to DAP,” he told reporters after the pre-launch of the BAS.MY bus service at KK Sentral in Kota Kinabalu today.

Loke, who is also the transport minister, said DAP’s interest in contesting rural seats is not an experiment but based on past experience and its track record, noting that the party previously contested in Bingkor.

“In our election strategy, we take a pragmatic and practical approach. We don’t just contest for the sake of numbers or in areas where we lack support.

“We only contest in seats where we have grassroots strength and have done the groundwork. Our aim is not merely to participate, but to win,” he said.

In the September 2020 Sabah election, DAP contested seven seats and won six – Luyang, Likas, Kapayan, Sri Tanjong, Elopura and Tanjong Papat.

However, in 2022, two of its former assemblymen from Elopura and Sri Tanjong defected to Warisan.

In May, Sabah DAP deputy chairman Chan Foong Hin said the party aims to defend the four seats it won in 2020 and reclaim the Elopura and Sri Tanjong seats in the coming election.