Abdul Hadi Awang
In the 2004 general election, Nasharudin lost his parliamentary seat when he switched to run for the Besut seat in Terengganu. The following year, he became the Deputy President of PAS, making him the party's second-most senior elected leader after the President, Abdul Hadi Awang. Nasharudin's election to the position was a surprise as the senior cleric Haron Din had been slated to run against the incumbent, Hassan Shukri, but withdrew due to illness. In Haron's absence, Nasharudin defeated Hassan by a narrow margin.