Bhum jai thai unfazed by electoral setback

The Bhum Jai Thai Party yesterday was convincingly trounced by the Pheu Thai Party in the Sakon Nakhon MP by-election, but vowed to push on.

"This is our first battle. We have just established our party for only months. The defeat cannot be used as an indicator of our popularity,'' Bhum Jai Thai deputy leader Bunjong Wongtrairat said.

An unofficial count of 90 per cent showed Pheu Thai's Anurak Bunsol with 63,034 votes and Bhum Jai Thai's Pitak Chansri with 20,162 votes.

Core Bhum Jai leaders, including Newin Chidchob, met at a resort in the province. They were all present at the press conference called to concede defeat except Newin, who appeared tense and kept to himself inside a restaurant at the hotel, talking on the phone.

Chaovarat Chanweerakul, the interior minister and Bhum Jai Thai leader, said the situation was not so good for the party, but the party was satisfied with the support the Sakhon Nakhon people had given, even though it was a new party.

"We have a future and we will make it better,'' he said.

Bhum Jai Thai spokesman Supachai Jaisamut said the party believes Pheu Thai won the election because former premier Thaksin Shinawatra made phone calls to about 10 kamnan and village chiefs asking for their support.

He said the party was preparing to file an election complaint against Thaksin's calls and the distribution of CDs and leaflets to constituents.

Bunjong denied that the party had underestimated Thaksin but it accepted the defeat.

A source close to Newin said Newin acknowledged the by-election result and instructed the party to work harder. The party believes its fieldwork and seminar had helped boost its votes by only 10 per cent.

The source said the party could not change the faith and belief of locals in Thaksin, which was the main reason for its losing the election.

However, the party will strive to implement its policies as its strategy to win the hearts of voters.

Election Commission chairman Apichart Sukhagganond said he was satisfied that the voter turnout had reached 70 per cent. Intense media publicity was the main reason, he said.

Seven complaints have been received including vote-buying and mudslinging, he said.

The EC would endorse the election winner within seven days if there were no complaints against him, he said.

The EC is making a speedy probe into the high absentee vote and if any irregularities were found, the disqualification would be announced soon, he said.

Pheu Thai chairman Chalerm Yoobamrung said the party swept the by-election because most people were still loyal to Thaksin and the party would project Thaksin and the populist policies he initiated for the now-defunct Thai Rak Thai Party in its future election campaigns.

He said Thaksin had called to congratulate Anurak on his election landslide.