Prime Minister and Bhumjaithai Party leader Anutin Charnvirakul waves to supporters on the campaign trail on Wednesday in Nakhon Phanom while helping Constituency 4 MP candidate Chookan Kulwongsa canvass for votes. Bhumjaithai Party

Bhumjaithai Party (BJT) leader Anutin Charnvirakul brushed aside a projection by the Nida Poll director that the party would win up to 150 seats in the general election, saying the figure was "too low".

Mr Anutin said on Wednesday BJT was fighting hard in every constituency and that the Nida estimate fell short of the party’s internal target.

However, he said opinion polls were useful benchmarks for assessing how well the party’s campaign was performing.

"They are tools to measure how much work we have done. If the results match our expectations, we can move forward with confidence. If they don’t, we have to review and improve our work," he said.

Earlier, in a television interview, Suvicha Pouaree, director of the Nida Poll Centre, said BJT was surging and expected to secure between 140 and 150 seats. He also said the number of undecided voters fell to less than 8%, which he said was not large enough to change the outcome.

Mr Anutin also declined to say on Wednesday whether winning 150 seats would be enough to form a coalition government, saying the issue of government formation should be discussed only after the election.

The BJT leader and prime ministerial candidate also said the party had never officially announced a specific seat target, and that the election outcome would determine the party’s role.

He dismissed talk of seat-sharing with former coalition partners, saying the party was contesting all areas seriously and aiming to win as many seats as possible.

On his first campaign visit to the northeastern region, Mr Anutin led campaigning in Nakhon Phanom on Wednesday. He started in Na Kae and went to Na Wa, Sri Songkhram, Ban Phaeng and Muang districts.

In a campaign speech in Na Kae district, he stressed the importance of farmers’ livelihoods and rice prices.

He said Thailand must focus on proper marketing rather than selling rice cheaply for use in flour or animal feed, adding that rice must be sold as a high-value product because farmers work hard to produce good-quality rice and deserve fair returns.

In the face of natural disasters and wars, food security is increasingly important, and rice has become a key topic in every trade talk under the BJT-led government, he said.

Meanwhile, the BJT received the most donations in November, 58 million baht, while the opposition People’s Party received 1.5 million baht, according to the Election Commission (EC).

A total of 222 donors gave 82 million baht to 17 parties in November, the EC said.