KUCHING, MALAYSIA: The political temperature is rising as lobbying for votes by rival political parties gets more intense in Bandar Kuching the Chinese-majority hot seat here.

In their final push, the Barisan Nasional and opposition candidates are stepping up door-to-door visits and nightly ceramah to reach out to as many voters as possible.

But such ceramah are not drawing the crowds that they had anticipated. Candidates are blaming the nightly rain, which has not only kept the people away but also frustrated efforts to drive home their political messages.

Calvin Yeo, personal assistant to Alan Sim Yaw Yen, the Sarawak United Peoples Party (SUPP) Barisan candidate for Bandar Kuching, said rain had affected the turnout to both Barisan and opposition ceramah.

"Our ceramah are drawing between 150 and 300 people," he said yesterday.

Sarawak Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) state liaison chairman Dominic Ng Kim Ho said he had expected bigger crowds (against the 200 and 300) to the party's meet-the-people sessions if the weather had been good.

"But more people have turned up at the PKR ceramah this time as compared to the 2004 state election," claimed Ng, who is also the Padungan assemblyman.

The Meteorological Services Department said there would still be evening thunderstorms today but the night weather would improve towards polling day.

Sim, who is also SUPP youth chief, is walking extra kilometres in the tough fight against DAP incumbent Chong Chieng Jen, who is seeking a second term.

Yeo said Sim had covered about 70% of the constituency since beginning ground visits eight months ago.