The last time Umno saw a contest for the No. 2 post was in 1987, when the late Tun Abdul Ghafar Baba defeated incumbent Musa Hitam.

When the nominations process began about a month ago, Tan Sri Muhyiddin, 61, was seen as a sure bet for the post.

But several others then threw their hats into the ring, including Malacca Chief Minister Ali Rustam and Rural and Regional Development Minister Muhammad Muhammad Taib.

Datuk Seri Ali, 59, received 44 nominations while Mr Muhammad qualified with 39. Mr Muhyiddin leads the race with 88 nominations.

Candidates must obtain at least 39 nominations in order to contest.

By convention, the Umno president becomes the prime minister while the deputy president is slated to be the deputy premier.

Of the three, Mr Muhyiddin is perhaps the best candidate for the job and is still seen as the favourite for now.

Some Umno members credit Mr Muhyiddin with being responsible for pushing out Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi before his planned transition in 2010, amid heightening pressure within the party for him to step down.

This will stand Mr Muhyiddin in good stead, say Umno insiders.

But the other two are seen as more popular than Mr Muhyiddin among the Umno grassroots, and are also seen as favouring Malay rights.

Nominations for Mr Ali increased after Datuk Seri Abdullah said anyone had the right to contest, and some even say he quietly supports Mr Ali, hoping it will spoil Mr Muhyiddin's chances.

'If that is what they want, then the three of them will have to contest,' Mr Abdullah told reporters yesterday when asked to comment on the contest.

Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak, who takes over in March, has so far refrained from stating any preference for his future deputy.

Mr Muhammad, 63, resigned in 1997 as the Selangor menteri besar after he was charged in Brisbane with attempting to take cash worth over A$1 million (S$1million) out of Australia.

Mr Ali recently ran into controversy after his state decided to award a datukship to Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan, outraging Malaysians who asked what the star had done for the country.

Neither politician speaks fluent English. Mr Muhammad was cleared by the court as he pleaded that this was why he did not understand currency regulations in Australia.

On the other hand, Mr Muhyiddin is a trained economist and has a strong command of the English language.

Analysts say that since the March general elections, he has positioned himself as something of a reformist, urging Umno to win back the support of the non-Malays.

There is also talk that Mr Muhammad could be under pressure to withdraw, as a three-cornered fight could prove advantageous to Mr Muhyiddin.

But yesterday Mr Muhammad said a three-cornered fight for the Umno deputy presidency was healthy for the party.

'It's going to be a very fair contest,' he was quoted as saying by The Star daily.

hazlinh@sph.com.sg