How would you see BN's victory in Sungai Besar?

It was a decisive victory.

No matter how you look at Barisan Nasional's (BN) victory last night at the Sungai Besar by-election, you can't deny that it was a comfortable win for the ruling party.

How else would you describe a 9,191 vote-majority then?

Nevertheless, it is imperative to point out that BN was already set to win this by-election, despite considering itself as an underdog since they are the opposition in the state.

However, the convincing manner of this victory presents several things for the keenest of political observers to ponder.

First, how did a seat which was won in the 2013 General Elections with only a 399 vote-majority ends up multiplying about 23 times larger in the space of three years?

Was it the choice of the popular Budiman Mohd Zohdi as candidate? Or is it because the Opposition bloc was in disarray? Or maybe, it is due to the well-oiled election machinery ran by BN?

My initial observations? It was a combination of all three.

Some may say that the 'Chinese vote' has slowly returned to BN but I believed this claim should be investigated thoroughly.

This is because, a large segment of the vote in the Chinese-dominated areas within Sungai Besar tend to favour Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah).

No surprises here as Amanah's ally within the Pakatan Harapan coalition, DAP, certainly has a hand in ensuring Amanah get the votes they need from the latter's strong voter base support.

Nevertheless, it would be totally unfair to say that Budiman did not grabbed a significant chunk of that elusive Chinese vote.

Clearly, his youthful campaign style would definitely strike a chord with a majority of the voters.

The second thing that is worth to be pointed out is that a fractured Opposition will never, I repeat, never, come even close to beating BN.

There are no two ways about it. If the Opposition is serious about their claim to take over Putrajaya, they must by all means, prevent a three-cornered tussle with BN.

Although it is true that even if you tally up both of Amanah's and PAS' votes last night, it would still not beat Budiman's convincing vote count.

Despite all that, one has to factor in the vote swing in the event, the Opposition actually managed to present a unified front.

Easier said than done, you may say?

The third thing that should be pointed out, no matter how obvious it is at this point, is the relevancy of PAS and how it could be the most integral party in deciding who will take the keys to Putrajaya in the next general elections.

While some may say that PAS can stand on its own as it has been doing so for many years, it is vital for the people to realise that the Islamic party has a significant support base.

No matter how you look at it, PAS' actions, or its affiliations will definitely impact who will win in certain seats, especially the Malay-Muslim dominated areas.

Therefore, although PAS may not be able to win on its own, its very presence in the contests for seats will increase the likelihood of victory for UMNO specifically as well as BN.

So, DAP can blame PAS all they want.