ANUCHA CHAROENPO

A number of sittings MPs, mainly from the rival parties of the ruling Thai Rak Thai party, are likely to the ``big losers'' in the 2005 general election, according to Suan Dusit Rajabhat University's exit poll.

The poll predicted Thai Rak Thai would take 399 MPs from both constituency and party-list systems out of the total of 500 seats, leaving the Democrats, Chart Thai and Mahachon in the small minority in parliament.

Several veteran politicians would likely lose their seats to newcomers from Thai Rak Thai.

Potential big losers include Chanthaburi's six-time MP Thawatchai Anampong and three-time MP Komkai Ponlabutr, both from Chart Thai. Mrs Komkai is the wife of Alongkorn Ponlabutr, a Democrat executive member, herself also formerly a Democrat.

Another big disappointment would be three-time Democrat MP from Phrae's constituency 2 Siriwan Prassachaksattru, better known as ``Mae Liang Tik''.

Two Democrat hopefuls from Bangkok are likely to suffer defeat, including one-time MP Puthipong Punnakan, husband of actress Nussaba Wanitcha-angkul, and one-time MP Issara Sunthornwat, a TV programme host and son of the late Saeng-chai Sunthornwat, former director of Mass Communications Organisation of Thailand who was murdered several years ago.

The younger brother of deputy Democrat party leader Jurin Laksanawisit, one-time MP from Phangnga's constituency 2, Jurit, would likely face the same fate.

All the potential losers, however, refused to concede last night, saying the exit poll lacked impartiality which might have led some eligible voters to vote Thai Rak Thai before the polling was completed.

They were confident their long-standing relationships with their constituents would eventually land them in parliament again.

Ms Siriwan, the lone sitting Democrat MP in the northern province of Phrae, said the exit poll was unreliable.

``Over the past years I have worked a lot for my constituents and I believe that they are still have faith in me,'' she said.

Her rival Thai Rak Thai candidate, Anuwat Wongwan, is a son of veteran politician Narong, who dominated Phrae politics for more than 20 years in constituency 2 until he lost to Ms Siriwan in 1995.

Chart Thai's Chanthaburi MP Thawatchai, who defected from the now-dissolved Chart Pattana party, refused to believe he and fellow candidates Mrs Komkai and his nephew Saenkom would be the losers, citing also the voters' faith in them.

``Shouldn't we wait to see the election results tomorrow [Feb 7], who will be elected MPs? It's too early to say who will be the losers or winners at this time,'' he said.

Sukhum Chaloeysap, the pollster and vice rector of Suan Dusit Rajabhat University, assured the public the poll of 80,000 people nationwide was valid and reliable.