It is unprecedented. 61 top leaders left the party to contest as Independents. Indeed, 61 is a rather significant number representing nearly 10% of the total seats to be contested by the 13-member BN coalition led by Umno, There are 222 seats in the federal Parliament and 505 seats in the state assemblies up for grabs in the coming general election, the country's 13th since obtaining independence from British rule in 1957.
According to national news agency Bernama, 61 Umno members including Kamilia Ibrahim, the former deputy chief of the women's wing, have been sacked for defying the party and contesting as independents.
Among the others sacked are Shariff Omar, a former Deputy Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister, who is contesting the Tasek Gelugor parliamentary seat and Sepang Umno division Youth head Suhaimi Mohd Ghazali who is going for the Sepang parliamentary seat. Badruddin Tun Mustapha was also expelled for contesting in the Semporna parliamentary and Senallang state seats.
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