PETALING JAYA, June 27 -- Four years after the 2022 Johor state election delivered a landslide victory for Barisan Nasional (BN), Johor voters are set to return to the polls amid a markedly different political landscape and shifting electoral dynamics.

While BN - now part of the unity government coalition alongside Pakatan Harapan (PH) at the federal level - enters the election as the incumbent with a comfortable majority, the coalition has signalled that its partnership with PH will not extend to the state polls.

Since both sides will contest all 56 seats independently, attention will likely focus on several marginal and closely fought constituencies, many of which are expected to feature at least three-corner contests, similar to the ...