MALACCA POLLS | For decades, Malacca has been an impenetrable Umno fortress and the opposition's sphere of influence has always been confined to Malacca town and its surrounding areas.

But in 2018, the opposition coalition Pakatan Harapan made unprecedented gains, capturing most of central Malacca, garnering 15 out of the 28 state seats to form the new state government, until its collapse in 2020 due to defections.

Harapan, at the time, had several factors working in its favour. BN, and in particular Umno, was reeling from...