Kuala lumpur: Barisan Nasional (BN) is approaching the 16th Johor state election as the underdog and will not take the contest for granted despite a smooth nomination process across all 56 seats and a strong show of support from party members. Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi, who is also BN's Machap candidate, said the coalition would continue to work hard and intensify its outreach efforts to engage as many voters as possible ahead of polling day on July 11.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Onn Hafiz emphasized the coalition's position as underdogs, noting, "Because we are not the federal government, we consider ourselves the underdogs. We will work hard to meet as many 'Bangsa Johor' as we can." He made these remarks during a meet-and-greet session with residents of Flat Saujana, expressing that support for BN candidates had been encouraging and hoping that this momentum would continue through to polling day.

Onn Hafiz also expressed his desire for a peaceful and orderly election process, stating, "That is the Johor way. We want to preserve harmony so that democracy can continue to flourish in the state." He highlighted the Johor BN manifesto launched on June 26, which outlines 63 pledges building on existing state government initiatives. These include housing agendas, youth programmes, and the 'Kasih Johor' assistance initiative.

He further mentioned, "We had also organised the 'Semarak Subuh' programme and, Insya-Allah, if BN is given the mandate, we plan to introduce 'Semarak Isyak' as well. It's a continuation of what we have (already) done." Early voting for the election has been scheduled for July 7, as BN intensifies its efforts to connect with voters across the state.