'Yes, Kedah is in PAS' hands,' the Islamic party's vice-president, Datuk Husam Musa, told Agence France-Presse as early as 10pm.

This marks the first time that the Malay-majority state, the home state of two Malaysian Prime Ministers - Tunku Abdul Rahman and Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad - has fallen into the hands of the opposition.

Bernama news agency reported last night that PAS and fellow opposition party Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) had secured 22 of the state's 36 state seats.

PAS' Kedah Secretary Yusuf Hussin said in the party's online newspaper Harakah Daily that his party and the PKR had won a majority in the state assembly.

PAS had won 12 state seats, he said, naming Bukit Lada, Bukit Pinang, Alor Mengkudu, Anak Bukit, Kubang Rotan, Pengkalan Kundor, Tokai, Sungai Limau, Jeneri, Kupang, Kuala Ketil and Merbau Pulas.

PKR won two state seats: Derga and Lunas.

The online newspaper said that the Democratic Action Party had won another state seat, Kota Darulaman.

Mr Yusuf said that PAS had clinched five more state seats: Pantai Merdeka, Bandar Baharu, Guar Chempedak, Air Hitam and Kota Siputeh.

He added that the Barisan Alternatif - a coalition of opposition parties - had won six parliamentary seats, including Baling, Pokok Sena, Padang Serai, Sik and Pendang.

The quiet town of Sik was in the spotlight when Barisan Nasional (BN) put two of Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi's political secretaries - Mr Osman Desa and Mr Hasbullah Isa - in the contests for the Sik parliamentary seat and the Jeneri seat respectively.

Both of them lost, according to official results.

Reacting to the unofficial results earlier in the night, Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat, PAS' spiritual leader, told AFP: 'Thank God for Kedah, but we will not announce a name (of a leader) yet for the state.'

But the speculation is that the PAS chief in Kedah, an Old Guard ulama (religious leader), Mr Azizan Abdul Razak, is likely to be named its new Menteri Besar should the Islamic party form the new state government.

Pre-election surveys showed that support for the Barisan government in the Malay heartland - made up largely of farming villages in northern Kedah and Perlis, and the east coast states of Kelantan and Terengganu - had taken a beating in recent months.

Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid, who heads Kedah, had to fend off not only PAS and PKR but also challenges from within Umno.

His Umno foes are aligned to former premier Mahathir Mohamad. Kedah is the home state of Tun Dr Mahathir, who has openly challenged and criticised the leadership of Prime Minister Abdullah.

Besides Kedah, PAS' main support base is in the other Malay-belt states of Perlis, Terengganu and Kelantan.

The last time PAS did so well was in 1999.

Then, the Islamic party scored its biggest electoral victory since it was set up in 1951 by winning 27 parliamentary seats and 97 state assembly seats, including in the BN-dominated states of Perak and Selangor.

It retained control of the state of Kelantan, which it has ruled since 1990, and captured Terengganu from BN, which had administered the oil-rich east coast state for the past 38 years.

Brimming with confidence after the 1999 victory, PAS' secretary-general Nasharudin Mat Isa had said then that the party would target Kedah in the next general election.

Thus, Kedah's loss to the opposition is largely due to disgruntled Malay voters.