In efforts to increase its votes in the Nov. 1 early elections and to regain the much heard of custodial votes acquired by the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), Republican Peoples Party (CHP) Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu has strongly criticized the HDP and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) throughout the party's election campaigning. With the election campaigns starting, Kılıçdaroğlu addressed the public during the first campaign event in Mersin and criticized the MHP for its stance during the coalition talks. Additionally to the MHP, Kılıçdaroğlu further touched on the HDP during the second election campaign event in Antalya and said that the HDP does not have the strength to rule the country.Although the CHP previously had a principle of not criticizing other opposition parties during the election process, it has recalibrated its stance for the upcoming elections with Kılıçdaroğlu and CHP officials criticizing the opposition. Kılıçdaroğlu's recent remarks at election campaign events have been described as a strategy to regain the custodial votes it lost to the HDP in the June 7 elections and to prevent support for the party from ebbing toward other parties. In this regard, in a speech last week at a party meeting in Ankara, CHP Deputy Chairman Haluk Koç also criticized HDP Co-Chair Selahattin Demirtaş and said the CHP no longer has any votes to give to the HDP, referring to the custodial votes, since it had already passed the 10 percent national election threshold. In addition to Koç, Kılıçdaroğlu on Sunday said the HDP cannot solve the country's problems and that it has no strength to do so either.

Commenting on the MHP, Kılıçdaroğlu referred to the party's stance throughout coalition talks, and said: "If you are going to decline everything then why are you even entering the elections? All of their plans have been dashed and no one is listening to them anymore. They are only talking to themselves." Sources close to the CHP have indicated that as CHP support has decreased, it becomes harder for Kılıçdaroğlu to lead the party. It has further been added that in efforts to regain support and to remain in power, Kılıçdaroğlu has altered the party strategy.