Pheu Thai prepares for fierce battle in northern stronghold

Several parties are trying to make inroads in Pheu Thai’s northern stronghold, including the Democrat Party and other parties in the ruling coalition, said Pheu Thai deputy leader Julapun Amornvivat, who runs the party’s Chiang Mai team.

Pheu Thai, however, is most worried about its opposition ally, the Move Forward Party.

Due to intense competition from Move Forward and other parties, Pheu Thai’s candidates will not be complacent during the election campaign, Julapun said.

Besides its national policies, the party is running on local policies and fielding experienced candidates to ensure it maintains support from the province’s voters, he said, explaining: “Each candidate has represented Chiang Mai for years, so they know well the local issues that have been ignored by the government during the past 10 years. So, I’m confident that people in Chiang Mai will still vote for Pheu Thai.”

The party will shuffle candidates in some constituencies to respond to competition from other parties. Jakrapol Tungsutthitham, who was elected in Constituency 3, will be shifted to Constituency 1, and Thassanee Burunapakorn will be moved from Constituency 1 to Constituency 3.

Jakrapol is an expert in tourism policies while Thassanee is well known as a pro-democracy fighter, so swapping them will help Phue Thai retain control of Chiang Mai, Julapun said.