Party organising national secretary Anthony Loke said that was the only option viable to resolve the conflict between the two and allow Pakatan Harapan to take on Barisan Nasional in a straight fight for the five seats.

“If they do that, we will also do the same. If five of their candidates who are going against us can withdraw, then we will withdraw and not stand in Batu Kitang,” he told reporters here.

Loke was asked to comment on Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s assertion that the DAP-PKR seat allocation quagmire could still be resolved.

But Loke noted that withdrawal for candidates are no longer allowed under the new election law, meaning it is too late for both the parties negotiate anything.

DAP national publicity chief Tony Pua echoed the same view.

“What negotiations? The only way now is we withdraw from Batu Kitang if they withdraw from (the) five seats because what else is there to negotiate? You can’t negotiate anymore,” he said.

Earlier today Loke insisted that PKR was the one that reneged on the seat talks and revealed details of the negotiations to prove its claim.

He  also revealed that during negotiations, DAP and PKR had engaged pollster Merdeka Center to conduct a survey on six of the 11 seats that both parties had been eyeing for the elections.

According to Loke, the pollster’s findings favoured the DAP in all but one of the surveyed constituencies.

The Seremban MP then said the two had agreed that DAP would take Senadin, Mulu, Murum, Ngemah, Mambong, Tasik Biru, Simanggang and Bukit Semuja, while PKR would contest the Batu Kitang, Marudi, Machan, Layar and Belaga seats.

But at the close of nominations yesterday, PKR and DAP were seen pitted against one another in six seats, namely Mambong, Simanggang, Murum, Mulu, Ngemah and Batu Kitang.