A Barisan Nasional leader, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the plotters would be wary following the Johor sultan’s remarks on the need to maintain political stability.

“Bear in mind, Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar has fired a warning shot as Johor is next in line to be the next Yang di-Pertuan Agong,” he told FMT.

On Wednesday, Sultan Ibrahim said “enough is enough” following reports that 10 MPs from BN intended to force by-elections by quitting their parties. The 10 had previously backed PN chairman Muhyiddin Yassin after the 2022 general election.

Bersatu supreme council member Faiz Na’aman further fuelled speculation with a cryptic post saying: “Already 126 … if it’s true, thank God.”

The BN insider said the claims of 126 MPs backing the opposition were unfounded. PN would also need to convince Gabungan Parti Sarawak to back them, apart from BN, The Sarawak coalition has 23 seats, and BN has 30 while PN has 74 seats.

A simple majority of 112 seats in the Dewan Rakyat is needed to form a government

“The question is whether GPS would back PN, a notion we find illogical. Sarawakians would not agree with GPS,” the source said, adding that GPS has benefited immensely since Anwar became the prime minister.

On Wednesday, a well-placed source told FMT that Istana Negara will not entertain any claim by any party that Anwar had lost majority support in the Dewan Rakyat.

The Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, has previously said he had no intention of getting involved in politics and called on politicians to accept the outcome of the general election.