Chulalongkorn University academic Chaiyan Chaiyaporn tears up his ballot slips in front of reporters and an applauding crowd at the 62nd polling station in Bangkok’s Suan Luang district. He was later questioned at Prawet police station and could be charge

[Rattled leader avoids press, plans emergency meeting  with senior Thai Rak Thai members this afternoon;  Ruling party insiders fear result could  give new momentum to PAD]

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra abruptly cancelled a planned evening press conference and re-fused to leave his home last night, apparently rattled by a staggeringly high number of "abstain" votes in an election he portrayed as a virtual national referendum on his beleaguered leadership.

Early counts showed the ruling Thai Rak Thai Party losing its grip on Bangkok, the hotbed of anti-government protests for more than three months. Abstain votes in many constituencies in the capital outnumbered votes for Thai Rak Thai candidates, who ran in a virtual one-horse race because the opposition bloc had boycotted the election.

But the question of legitimacy will not be limited to Bangkok. The Democrat-dominated South also gave Thai Rak Thai a big snub. Many "winning" Thai Rak Thai candidates in the South stand to be disqualified because the law stipulates that candidates who have no competition must win at least 20 per cent of support from eligible voters in their constituencies. This raises the highly contentious issue of whether an "incomplete" House of Representatives can convene and elect the next prime minister.

Thai Rak Thai sources said party leaders were rocked by informal exit poll results showing that the number of abstain votes, called "no votes" by the anti-Thaksin movement, would be much higher than expected. "Everyone is bewildered," said a party insider. "Many targets have not been reached. Now the biggest worry is Bangkok."

At press time, many of Thai Rak Thai's Bangkok candidates were trailing the "no vote" numbers in their constituencies. It appears that anti-Thaksin sentiment is particularly strong in inner Bangkok, but he remains fairly popular in the suburbs. But even though many Thai Rak Thai candidates will beat the "no votes", the party is afraid that the poll results will give new momentum to the campaign by the People's Alliance for Democracy to oust its leader.

A belligerent Thaksin had vowed not to return to office if the "no votes" plus votes for smaller parties beat pro-Thai Rak Thai votes nationwide. According to the sources, the exit polls conducted by the party showed that Thai Rak Thai's 19 million votes in the last election could plunge to 15 million this time.

"The leaders are still shocked and the party's mood is tense," said a party source. "They had expected a high turnout of 'no votes' but never thought it would be this high."

Ominous signs came on the eve of the election, when mobile phone users circulated a large number of text messages calling on people they know to vote "no" and bring their own pens to the polling stations due to rumours about "magic" ink designed to rig the election. Shops in Bangkok reported a notable increase in the sale of pens yesterday. It was somewhat ironic that cellular phones, which brought Thaksin enormous wealth and unprecedented political power, were used as a major tool in the campaign to oust him.

Thaksin smiled broadly early yesterday, though some observers suspected it was a forced smile, but refused to comment on his immediate political future. But after the poll closed, he and other Thai Rak Thai leaders became unusually quiet and avoided reporters. He then cancelled a press conference scheduled for 7pm and headed home. An urgent meeting with key Thai Rak Thai members was reportedly scheduled for this afternoon.

Among Thai Rak Thai Bangkok candidates facing humiliation by "no votes" are Pongpisut Jintasopon (Constituency 7), Sita Tiwari (Constituency 8) and Pimon Srivikorn (Constituency 18).

There is also concern that even in the Thai Rak Thai strongholds of the North and Northeast, large numbers of "no votes" in inner city areas will embarrass the party.

With no exit polls, officials did not expect a full picture of the returns until some time today.