By Thai Newsroom Reporters
NEXT MONTH’S BY-ELECTION for an MP of Sisaket will likely be a relentless tug of war between a couple of major parties with an essential difference of one being in government and the other in the opposition bloc.
The Pheu Thai surreptitiously directed by de facto party boss Thaksin Shinawatra is vying for MP of Srisaket against the Bhumjaithai covertly steered by de facto party boss Newin Chidchob whose camp withdrew from the Pheu Thai-led government last month.
The by-election scheduled for August 10 is largely believed to feature a local electoral battle which could potentially have repercussion on the national political landscape between Thaksin, father of the court-suspended prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, and Newin, father of Bhumjaithai secretary-general/MP Chaichanok Chidchob, who both would likely go on the stump in Sisaket’s Constituency 5 consisting of Khun Harn and Pusing districts which literally share border with Cambodia. Both are more or less expected to show up on their respective partisan campaign trail during the run-up to the polling date.
Remarkably, the de facto Bhumjaithai boss who had worked for the de facto Pheu Thai boss over the last couple of decades had repeated his signature catchphrase: “It’s over, boss” twice after they had parted company with each other.
Purika Sommai, daughter of the late Pheu Thai MP Amornthep Sommai, is contesting the MP seat of the lower northeastern constituency against Jintawan Traisaranakul, daughter of former MP Thira Traisaranakul who had turned coat from the Pheu Thai to the Bhumjaithai in 2023’s general election in which he was defeated by the late Amornthep.
Purika, who just resigned as Sisaket Tourism Council chair to contest in the race to parliament, is running under the Pheu Thai tickets whilst Jintawan, niece of Srisaket provincial administration head Wichit Traisaranukul, is vying under the Bhumjaithai banners.
In the previous election, Thaksin’s camp secured seven out of a total nine MP seats of the lower Isaan province, leaving the two others to Newin’s camp.
CAPTIONS:
Top and Front Page: De facto Pheu Thai boss Thaksin Shinawatra, left, and de facto Bhumjaithai boss Newin Chidchob, right. Top photo: Thai Rath, Front Page photo: PPTVHD36
Insert: Ms. Purika Sommai, left, and Jintawan Traisaranakul, right. Photo: Thai Rath
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