First timers will make up a third of parliamentary candidates and almost half of those selected for the state elections, with most fielded in opposition-led states.
No last-minute changes are expected, said Najib, who is leading the coalition for the first time as the prime minister and into the nation's toughest-ever polls, after he handed over nomination documents and the BN election pledge to BN component party leaders and state liaison chairmen in Kuala Lumpur, Monday.
Asked whether he was worried about the disappointment that might be felt by those not picked to stand in the election, Najib said: "I am more worried about the disappointment of the rakyat."
A titanic battle for Gelang Patah in Johor between Menteri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman and DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang is all but confirmed when the parliamentary constituency was missing from the MCA's list issued Monday.
Gelang Patah was won by MCA in the 2008 General Election and the party was reportedly planning to field division chief and first-timer Jason Teoh when the dynamics changed after Lim announced his move to the Chinese-majority seat.
MCA and Gerakan were the first component parties to reveal the full list of their candidates while the People's Progressive Party (PPP) named four out of five candidates.
On Tuesday, UMNO, MIC and the rest of the BN component parties in Sabah and Sarawak are expected to unveil their candidates.
The MCA will contest 37 parliamentary and 90 state seats compared to the 40 parliamentary and 90 seat share previously. Apart from Gelang Patah, it will not run for the Kuantan and Wangsa Maju parliamentaries.
Former president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat was dropped from defending the Pandan parliamentary seat, while two vice-presidents, Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen, who is also the party's Wanita chief, and Gan Ping Sieu were also excluded.
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