The Pheu Thai Party is confident it will win all constituencies in its political stronghold of Chiang Mai in Sunday's election despite the Move Forward Party's (MFP) rising popularity in the northern province.
Srettha Thavisin, a party prime ministerial candidate, said on Wednesday the party believes it will take all the seats in the province as targeted while acknowledging the race is highly competitive.
The MFP and other parties were competing fiercely in Chiang Mai constituencies, Mr Srettha said, noting that the MFP's popularity was also increasing in other parts of the country.
"I still believe Pheu Thai will win with a majority of House seats," he said.
Mr Srettha also insisted a new tweet by fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra that reiterated his wish to return to Thailand had nothing to do with Pheu Thai.
Thaksin, who has been living in self-imposed exile, tweeted that one of the reasons he now wants to return home was the birth of his latest grandchild, and he wants to take care of him.
Paetongtarn "Ung Ing" Shinawatra, Thaksin's youngest daughter and one of Pheu Thai's three prime ministerial candidates, is the child's mother.
"Thaksin is both a father and a grandfather. I have a lot of sympathy for him for not being able to return home over the past 17 years. He's also now very old," Mr Srettha said.
"But his [future] return will have nothing to do with Pheu Thai."
Thaksin's tweets also have nothing to do with the party, said Mr Srettha when asked to comment on speculation that Thaksin was tweeting messages he believed would help draw him some sympathy and Pheu Thai more votes.
Mr Srettha also clarified one of his earlier remarks, which prompted criticism from Bhumjaithai Party leader Anutin Charnvirakul, who claimed Pheu Thai couldn't hide its eagerness to get hold of the Ministry of Transport even before the election results were known.
Mr Srettha said his remarks about Pheu Thai's intention to take control of the ministry were in response to complaints made by members of a taxi driver co-operative that he met recently.
He said what he meant to say was that if Pheu Thai wins the election and becomes the government, the party will take care of problems facing taxi drivers' cooperatives which are governed by the ministry.
