KUALA LUMPUR, Sept. 23 -- The last time Melaka went to the polls, voters masked up, kept their distance in queues at polling stations and regularly sanitised their hands.

Five years on, the Covid-19 restrictions are gone, but shifting political tides and fluid alliances are set to shape another closely watched state election.

Melaka, traditionally a Barisan Nasional (BN) stronghold, fell to Pakatan Harapan (PH) for the first time in 2018 before BN wrested the state back with a two-thirds majority in the 2021 state election.

BN won 21 seats in the 28-seat state assembly in 2021, while PH secured five and Perikatan Nasional (PN) two.

The assembly's composition subsequently changed after Rembia assemblyman Datuk Muhammad Jailani Khamis l...