Should he be fielded by GRS as a candidate in the state elections, he may have to forfeit his parliamentary seat under the anti-hopping law.

He was the assemblyman for Tanjung Keramat in the now dissolved state assembly and is rumoured to be contesting the state assembly elections under the GRS banner.

He said he welcomed the fact that GRS was considering him as a candidate.

Shahelmy was suspended by Umno in 2023 after failing to toe the party line in an attempted coup against chief minister Hajiji Noor.

He had been elected in Tanjung Keramat in 2020 on a Barisan Nasional ticket. Should he now contest on another party’s ticket he may have to give up the Putatan parliamentary seat.

He told FMT he was considering taking part in the coming elections, but said that it would depend on seat negotiations among the GRS coalition partners.

“I understand that seat negotiations are ongoing and will be finalised later. So I will take a wait and see approach.”

Last night Hajiji, who is GRS chairman, revealed that Shahelmey and Andi Muhammad Suryady Bandy, who had also been suspended by Umno, have expressed interest in representing the coalition or contesting under its ticket.

“I have no objections to that because they are both leaders – one is a minister while the other is an assistant minister,” The Borneo Post quoted Hajiji as saying.