He said the extension was needed so that an amicable solution could be found.

“We need a winnable solution to maintain Selangor. All parties must have their heads and hearts together (in finding a solution),” he told FMT.

The talks were supposed to have concluded on Jan 31.

It is understood that the discussions centre on the 13 seats under PAS which will be split between PKR and new allies PPBM and Amanah.

At present, PKR and PAS have 13 state seats each, while DAP has 14 and Amanah, two. Barisan Nasional has 12 and the remaining two state seats in Selangor are held by independents.

In 2015, PAS left three-party opposition alliance Pakatan Rakyat (PR) over a series of policy disputes, including its desire to implement the Islamic penal code in Kelantan.

DAP said then that the alliance was dead, blaming it on PAS. But the collapse of the pact left the third component party, PKR, in a potentially dire situation as the Malay vote may now be split.

PKR is said to be aiming for up to 30 seats in Selangor. In the previous election in 2013, the party contested 20 out of the total 56 state seats.

DAP is expected to stick to the 15 seats it previously contested.

PKR’s Sri Andalas assemblyman Dr Xavier Jayakumar, who is involved in the talks, confirmed that the deadline for discussions on the state seat allocation had been extended.

“We are negotiating on the seats at the moment,” he said, adding that PKR was capable of handling more seats.