BN candidate for Taiping , M Kayveas, is concerned over voter turnout on polling day instead of his chances of winning in the coming general election.

The People's Progressive Party (PPP) president said his concerns were due to the high number of "fence-sitters" in this parliamentary constituency in Perak.

"If we bring them out to cast their votes, I am confident they will choose BN as they want to retain what is important. Therefore, I will try to ensure many to come out and vote," he told Bernama .

Kayveas described his winning chances were rising by the day as compared to that on nomination day where he was virtually unknown as a candidate.

"As of today (yesterday), I have covered 40 per cent of this constituency. The voters have begun to know me. Before this, they do not even know me and there were many false information about me," he said.

"I receive good cooperation from BN component parties. Umno, MCA and Gerakan gave their cooperation well. Datuk Ho Cheng Wang (who won uncontested in Pokok Assam state constituency), spent a lot of his time to assist me," said Kayveas.

Fighting local boy

Kayveas said he had to work hard to win over the Chinese-majority electorate in Taiping as his opponent, Ong Chee Keng (DAP), was a local boy.

On Tuesday, he had complained that Gerakan - who held the Taiping seat - had deserted him.

Kayveas faces a three-cornered battle in Taiping with both Keadilan's JP Annah Dorai and DAP's Ong Chee Keng trying to wrest the seat from BN. There are 64,356 registered voters here, of which 53 percent are Chinese , Malays 32 percent and Indians 14 percent.

In 1999, BN/Gerakan candidate Kerk Choo Ting obtained 24,531 votes, or a majority of 3,969 votes, as compared to DAP candidate Dr Lim Kean Gee's 20,562 to retain this mixed-voters seat.