Bangkok: Thailand's conservative Bhumjaithai Party has taken a commanding lead in the general election, outperforming all major polls with 193 projected seats, according to unofficial results from the Election Commission on Monday. With 94% of the ballots counted as of 8:53 a.m., Bhumjaithai is poised to become the largest party in the 500-member House of Representatives, securing 174 constituency seats and 19 party-list seats.

According to Thai News Agency, the progressive People's Party sits in second place with 118 seats, failing to meet earlier expectations despite a clean sweep of all 33 constituencies in the capital, Bangkok. The party secured 87 constituency seats and the highest number of party-list seats at 31.

Pheu Thai, a party long linked to the Shinawatra family, took third place with 74 seats, a figure lower than its previous election results. Despite fielding academic Yodchanan Wongsawat as its prime ministerial candidate, the party secured only 58 constituency and 16 party-list seats.

The newly formed Kla Tham Party emerged as a dark horse, securing 58 total seats. While it won only two party-list seats, its strong performance in constituencies makes it a likely key contender for the incoming ruling coalition.

Meanwhile, the veteran Democrat Party, led by former Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, saw its party-list seats rise to 12, up from three in the 2023 election, but finished with only 22 seats overall due to poor constituency results.