The Social Democratic Liberal Party (SODELPA) is cranking up its efforts to cover the Rewa, Naitasiri and Tailevu provinces, as 13 days remain for the September 17 polls.

For much of yesterday, party heads including leader Ro Teimumu Kepa were meeting at Café 30, Macgregor Road, to discuss strategies to combat the FijiFirst Party.

According to Facebook updates, the party’s media manager Sainiana Radrodro revealed that they had visited Nakorovatu, Naitasiri on Monday and Matacaucau, Tailevu in the evening of the same day.

Pio Tikoduadua, former Permanent Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office, is FijiFirst’s candidate of choice to challenge Ro Teimumu for the votes of the electorate in Rewa and Tailevu.

He was campaigning in Dravo, Tailevu, yesterday.

SODELPA is banking heavily on traditional allegiances of Rewa and Lau to win votes in these provinces, even though the new system favours one constituency and not the previous communal and open seat systems.

SODELPA officials were not answering their phones yesterday and it’s not clear whether former Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase has returned yet from the United States, where he combined personal family visits and campaigning for SODELPA.

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