Even the leaders of the BN-aligned Malaysian Indian Congress party denounced the MP, ostensibly their political ally.

ECONOMIST: Politics in Malaysia

Mr Najib will have to win big to convince the sceptics, at the very least restoring the BN's two-thirds majority.

ECONOMIST: Early elections are a possibility

In the 2008 polls, the BN lost its two-thirds majority in parliament for the first time - something it failed to regain in these elections.

BBC: Malaysia vote: PM Najib Razak's Barisan Nasional wins