Bangkok governor candidates carry on campaigning for votes

BANGKOK, January 24 (TNA) - Candidates contesting the upcoming gubernatorial election, set on March 3, 2013, have kept on campaigning for votes. Police General Pongsapat Pongcharoen of the ruling Pheu Thai Party, on Thursday campaigned in Bangkhae area and met the elderly at the Bangkhae Home Foundation, saying that he would ask the government to raise the monthly allowance for the elderly to 1,000-1,2000 baht and would have the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) to build its own homes for the elderly in the city's communities, in addition to such facilities of the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, if elected, and that the BMA should let the government take over mega projects in the capital so that it would have more money to improve human resources. M.R. Sukhumbhand Paribatra of the main opposition Democrat Party, on the other hand, campaigned at the Yingcharoen Market in Bang Khen area and visited people at Ruamjai Pattana and Kong Thai communities which were damaged by fires on January 18, promising, if re-elected for the second four-year term, he would procure backpack extinguishers, improve the skills of firefighters and build disaster prevention training centers, after implementing fire prevention projects for high-rises and communities during his first term. Meanwhile, Assumption University has found from its updated opinion survey that 89.7 per cent of respondents are following up news reports on the March 3 Bangkok governor election on a weekly basis. The ABAC poll, released on January 24, also found that the ruling Pheu Thai Party candidate, Police General Pongsapat, was on the lead in the race for Bangkok governor position, as the survey, conducted on 1,766 eligible voters in Bangkok from January 22 and 23, showed that 41.8 per cent of the respondents would vote for Pongsapat, if the election was held now, while 37.6 per cent said they would vote for former Bangkok governor M.R. Sukhumbhand. (TNA)