Leader Sanan Kachornprasart told a meeting of the party's executive board yesterday that most of the seats would be from its strongholds of Phichit, Chiang Rai, Samut Prakan and certain Northeastern constituencies where its candidates were runners-up in the 2005 election, according to the source.

Sanan was quoted as saying that the party would field candidates in 200 of the 400 constituencies in the October 15 poll.

The 20 candidates targeted as MPs would include some from the party-list system of proportional representation, the source quoted Sanan as saying.

The Mahachon leader noted that with 20 MPs the party would be able to introduce a draft law to Parliament. The Constitution allows an MP to propose a bill only if it is approved by his or her political party and is endorsed by at least 20 MPs.

Mahachon won two House seats in the 2005 election.

It joined an opposition boycott against the April 2 snap election.

Party deputy leader Akapol Sorasuchart said yesterday that Mahachon expected to become a small party in the next House of Representatives. It will join the push for political reform and amendments to the Constitution, he said.