Wicklow:Fianna Fáil candidate in Wicklow Pat Fitzgerald has denied entering into a pact with Labour candidate Nicky Kelly for preferences in the general election.
This follows a local newspaper report that the two candidates from Arklow had said it was a priority for the town to elect a TD for the first time.
The Wicklow People reported that Mr Fitzgerald, a local town councillor, had described Arklow as "one of the largest towns in Ireland, if not the largest, never to have had a TD".
He had added: "There is a yearning among the Arklow public to have an Arklow representative in the Dáil."
He had wished Mr Kelly, a Wicklow county councillor, the "best of luck", saying: "And, on the night of the count, let's have an Arklow TD. Whatever the result, I'll accept the wishes of the electorate."
Mr Kelly had also wished Mr Fitzgerald "the best of luck".
"There are 19,000 people located in the south Wicklow area and I would encourage people to vote locally to ensure south Wicklow has the TD it deserves," Mr Kelly told the Wicklow People.
Labour is running two candidates in the constituency, including the party's deputy leader, Liz McManus.
Mr Fitzgerald yesterday rejected suggestions that the comments amounted to a voting pact. "There's no pact whatsoever between us," he said. "I am not asking for preference votes for Nicky Kelly. All I said was that Arklow people will vote for Arklow candidates, and I'm not going to ask them to do otherwise."
He said that a lot of people from Arklow who were giving him a number-one vote were telling him they were giving a second preference to Mr Kelly, which was not something he could change.
He said that his canvass cards still sought preference votes for his two running-mates in Wicklow, Minister for the Environment Dick Roche and Joe Behan.