This is despite PN turning down Pejuang’s application to join the coalition in March.

Pejuang president Mukhriz Mahathir said his party did not want to further split Malay votes, adding that cooperation between his party and PN was the best way to face Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional in the coming polls.

According to Utusan Malaysia, Mukhriz said he had met with several PN leaders previously and that the response from them about cooperation had been hot and cold.

“We’ve been optimistic from the start and did not receive any positive response. Our application to join the coalition was subsequently rejected.

“We felt disappointed, but now there is hope that they will give us (Pejuang) due consideration,” he said after an event at Universiti Sains Malaysia.

Mukhriz said the main reason Pejuang wanted to cooperate with PN in the Aug 12 state elections was to avoid a clash between Pejuang and PN candidates.

“For now, there hasn’t been any decision on this. We’ll see if any good news follows the meeting between Dr Mahathir (Mohamad) and Muhyiddin,” he said, referring to the two-hour meeting between the former prime ministers last night.

The meeting is believed to be the first the two have held since the Sheraton Move in 2020 which ultimately led to the collapse of the Mahathir-led administration, with Muhyiddin replacing him as prime minister.

Mukhriz also said Pejuang had no ambition to dominate the nation’s political landscape, let alone form state governments on its own.

In March, FMT quoted PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man as saying that PN had rejected Pejuang’s application to join the coalition because it did not want to complicate seat allocations for the six state elections.

He also said Pejuang’s status as a “small party” was another factor. He said the party led by the former Kedah menteri besar would not help PN in its ambitions to “unite the ummah”.