Move Forward party candidate Rukchanok Srinork, has become a giant-killer in Bangkok’s Bang Bon electoral constituency, a political stronghold of the Yubamrung family, as she was beating Wan Yubamrung by more than 10,000 votes after 52% had been counted late Sunday night.
As of 10.30pm, the 28-year-old new face in Thai politics had bagged 33,920 votes, representing 44.33% of all the votes cast in the constituency, against Wan’s 19,694 votes (25.74%). The Democrat party’s candidate, Wanitcha Muangsiri came third with 6,473 votes.
Wan’s father, Chalerm, was an MP who represented Bang Bon several times. In the last election, however, he let his son contest the seat and he was elected.
Rukchanok later posted a Facebook message which reads “The wind of change is blowing, the bells in the hearts of people are starting to ring.”
The young Move Forward candidate is a well-known online vendor and political activist who used to chat with exiled former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra on the Clubhouse app. She is also a regular panellist at political fora.
During the election campaign, she rode in a big bicycle all over the Bang Bon area, using a megaphone to reach out to the electorate. Her campaign style went viral on social media, prompting the BBC correspondent for Southeast Asia,Jonathan Head, to cover her campaigning.
Rukchanok graduated from Thammasat University with a science degree.
