Bersih chairperson Maria Chin Abdullah will contest in the coming general election, offering herself to Pakatan Harapan as an "independent" candidate.
She is slated to announce her decision at a press conference tomorrow, according to her press invite that has gone viral.
However, it was not made clear as to which Harapan party she would contest under.
When contacted, Maria merely said she would explain the matter at the press conference.
"I have decided to resign from Bersih 2.0 as the chair and to take on a new challenge in the political arena," she said.
Maria also confirmed that she would send out the media invite to the press conference today.
"The invite was for (my) friends, but the letter went haywire to everyone. Today I will send the invite to the media," she told Malaysiakini.
Maria has been speculated to contest under PKR's ticket in Petaling Jaya Selatan, a federal seat currently held by Hee Loy Sian.
Harapan parties are reportedly recruiting social activists, academicians and analysts to stand in the coming general election.
Last week, analyst Wan Saiful Wan Jan joined Bersatu and he is expected to be fielded in a parliamentary seat in this general election.
Meanwhile, former Umno Sungai Benut parliamentarian Tawfik Ismail said Maria's announcement only confirmed BN's suspicion that the electoral watchdog was not as independent as it claimed to be.
"It's expected. It only confirms BN's view that Bersih is led and hijacked by the opposition," he was quoted as saying by Free Malaysia Today (FMT).
Tawfik also questioned if Bersih would be able to gain as much traction as it had in the past, following Maria's decision.
"What’s the future of Bersih? When it began, it rallied a broad spectrum of people.
"Now, instead of reforming the government, its leader has gone to the side of the man who inspired Bersih’s establishment, Dr Mahathir Mohamad," he said.
PKR Wanita chief and Selangor PKR deputy chief Zuraida Kamaruddin (photo) said the party would issue a statement right after Maria's announcement tomorrow.
"As Wanita chief, I will gladly welcome Maria, especially to boost female representation, especially someone like Maria who has proven her worth.
"With her calibre and integrity, (it) will definitely upgrade the standards of women representatives in the country, and her commitment for good governance and a clean and fair election, will take our struggle to greater heights when we take over the government," she told Malaysiakini in a text message.
The Ampang MP responded when asked if PKR would allow Maria to contest under the party's ticket without joining the party.
A PKR leader, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said several leaders of the party had discussed about Maria, and some of them had raised concerns about the activist declining to join the party after the election.
