KUALA LUMPUR, April 23 — Umno veteran Tan Sri Isa Samad has been dropped as a candidate for the 14th general election.

The incumbent Jempol MP’s name was conspicuously missing from the Negri Sembilan Barisan Nasional (BN) electoral line-up as announced today by state coalition chairman Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan in Seremban earlier today.

Taking Isa’s place for the federal seat instead is his former political secretary Datuk Mohd Salim Shariff, who will also be making his electoral debut.

Isa was Federal Land Development Authority chairman for six years until he was replaced last year by Tan Sri Shahrir Samad.

He was last year designated "person of interest” by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission in its investigation into the dubious ownership transfer of RM270 million plot of Felda land in Jalan Semarak.