Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha will hit the hustings in the South on Saturday, hoping his rising popularity in the region will help his United Thai Nation (UTN) Party capture many House seats in the Democrat Party's traditional stronghold in the May 14 election.
Witthaya Kaewparadai, a deputy UTN leader, said that Gen Prayut, a party prime ministerial candidate, is now popular among voters in the South and wants the party's candidates to win as many House seats as possible.
Gen Prayut will head south on Saturday to Trang, Phatthalung, and Songkhla, where he will spend the night, and Satun.
Even though the UTN is a new party, this is not a drawback as Gen Prayut enjoys a large following of admirers and receives a warm welcome wherever he goes, Mr Witthaya said, adding that the party has its sights set on securing at least 20 seats in the South.
"When the party's popularity is high, its election candidates must make the most of this and step up efforts to woo voters," he said.
There are 60 House seats in the constituency contest up for grabs in the South, compared to 50 in the previous election in 2019. Then, the Democrats secured the most seats with 22, followed by the Palang Pracharath Party (13), the Bhumjaithai Party (8), the Prachachart Party (6), and the Action Coalition for Thailand Party (1).
All eyes will be on whether the UTN, which is riding on Gen Prayut's popularity in the South, will be able to secure seats and establish a foothold in the region, observers said.
However, deputy Democrat leader Niphon Bunyamanee was unfazed by the UTN's move to score big gains in the South, saying it is normal for rivals to try to beat the Democrats on their home turf.
"We are confident we can beat them back, and we will secure the most seats in the South. Voters in the South still have trust in the Democrats," Mr Niphon said.
Stithorn Thananithichot, director of the Office of Innovation for Democracy at the King Prajadhipok's Institute, said that the 11 provinces in the upper South would become a battleground for four major parties -- the UTN, the Democrats, Bhumjaithai and the PPRP -- competing for House seats.
"The UTN stands a good chance because several of its candidates defected from the PPRP, and they enjoy strong support bases in these provinces.
"The UTN is expected to secure at least eight to 10 seats while the Democrats are expected to win at least 20, particularly in Surat Thani where the Democrats are likely to win all constituency seats," said Mr Stithorn, who is now surveying political support bases in the South.
"Bhumjaithai may win 12 to 15 seats while the PPRP may win two to three," he said, adding that the Pheu Thai Party only hopes to get a seat in Phangnga, though it will face tough competition from Bhumjaithai and the Democrats.
As for the three southern border provinces of Yala, Pattani, and Narathiwat, they are the strongholds of the Prachachart Party, which has the support of a network of local Muslim leaders, according to Srisompob Jitpiromsri, a political scientist at Prince of Songkla University's Pattani campus.
The party is expected to win most seats up for grabs here, with Bhumjaithai, the Democrats and the PPRP vying for the rest, he said.
