In seven seats, where the racial composition is more evenly distributed a consolidation of Malay votes will benefit the BN-PN partnership.PETALING JAYA: As the countdown to the 16th Melaka state election continues, seven seats are shaping up to be close contests between the Barisan Nasional-Perikatan Nasional alliance and the Pakatan Harapan-Bersatu pact.

In the 2021 election, 13 seats were decided on narrow margins. However, this time around the BN-PN cooperation is widely expected to consolidate Malay votes, thereby converting the slim wins to landslide victories in most of them.

The focus will likely be on several constituencies with a more evenly mixed racial composition previously won by PH, BN or PN. Three political pundits who spoke to FMT share similar views on most of these seats.