BARISAN Nasional's Datuk Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh will face a straight fight against Pakatan Harapan's Rahayu Hamzah in the contest for the Merlimau state seat in the Melaka election.
Returning officer Khairil Hafiz Yahya announced Akmal as candidate number one and Rahayu as candidate number two after nominations closed.
Akmal, who is Umno Youth chief, won the Merlimau seat for BN in the 2021 state election with a majority of 3,248 votes.
The constituency is among those where voters will decide between BN and PH candidates in the Nov 14 election.
According to the electoral roll updated as at Sept 22, a total of 687,697 voters are eligible to cast their ballots in the state election.
They comprise 675,166 ordinary voters, 9,769 military personnel and their spouses, and 2,762 police personnel.
The 14-day campaign period runs from Oct 31 to Nov 13, with polling scheduled for Nov 14. - October 31, 2026
