The opposition Puea Thai Party is pinning its hopes of winning the July 25 by-election in Bangkok Constituency 6 on the sympathy vote.
Puea Thai candidate Korkaew Pikulthong not being allowed to leave prison to campaign for votes might be a major disadvantage but it could draw sympathy, the chief of Puea Thai’s Bangkok MPs, Vicharn Meenchainant, said yesterday in an exclusive interview with the Bangkok Post.
All key party figures, MPs, Bangkok councillors and district councillors are taking to the campaign trail on behalf of Mr Korkaew, who has been detained with other red shirt protest leaders at the Bangkok Remand Prison on charges of terrorism related to the violence related to the red shirt rally.
The fact Mr Korkaew is being treated as if he were banned from campaigning for votes even though the courts allowed him to run in the by-election will make people feel sorry for him, Mr Vicharn said.
He said the public tend to perceive the way Mr Korkaew is being treated as unfair and see the government as treating the Democrat Party’s candidate differently.
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