Urban voters play decisive role in poll

SI SA KET : The Chart Thai Pattana Party is banking on urban voters to rally against the Puea Thai Party in tomorrow's by-election showdown.

Puea Thai still has Thaksin Shinawatra as its main draw for rural voters as the party ramps up its efforts to dislodge the incumbent Chart Thai Pattana from its seat.

The Constituency 1 by-election covers nine districts: Muang Si Sa Ket, Kanthararom, Non Khun, Phayu, Yang Chum Noi, Rasi Salai, Sila Lat, Bung Bun and Pho Si Suwan.

Some 355,000 voters will choose between Chart Thai Pattana's Sakulthip Angkasakulkiat and Puea Thai's Surachart Charnpradit.

Mrs Sakulthip has a strong support base especially in Si Sa Ket town where her husband Chathamongkol is the mayor.

Her son Siripong Angkasakulkiat, a former Si Sa Ket MP from the defunct Chart Thai Party who has been banned from politics for five years, is also lending support.

Mr Surachart was defeated by Mr Siripong in a previous election, even after winning more than 100,000 votes.

Puea Thai is repeating its strategies that proved successful in a Sakon Nakhon by-election last week.

The party is deploying MPs from all regions to aid the by-election campaign, as well as organising red shirt rallies and relying on Thaksin to add his support through telephone addresses.

This time the former prime minister is phoning both party rallies and those organised by the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship.

Despite Thaksin's help Puea Thai was still lagging Chart Thai Pattana in downtown Si Sa Ket, said Chaiya Promma, Puea Thai MP for Nong Bua Lam Phu.

But Puea Thai MP for Si Sa Ket Thanes Kruerat remained optimistic. Party rallies were crowded, and the intensive campaigning and Thaksin's phone-ins were proving effective.

Another Puea Thai MP for Si Sa Ket, Theera Traisoranakul, said his party had a good chance to win because support for the government in Si Sa Ket was lower than in Sakon Nakhon.

Chart Thai Pattana's de facto leader Banharn Silpa-archa has been calling his supporters in an attempt to lessen the impact of Thaksin's phone-ins.

Mr Banharn told locals that the Chart Thai Pattana candidate had nothing to do with Bhumjaithai's de facto leader Newin Chidchob.

Mr Siripong said Chart Thai Pattana was organising campaign rallies in every tambon to confront Puea Thai and Mr Banharn had phoned in to every rally.

Bhumjaithai and Chart Thai Pattana sources said that despite Mr Banharn trying to distance his candidate from Mr Newin, Bhumjaithai members were quietly helping Mrs Sakulthip's efforts to win the by-election.